Stripped By Your Flames
by Ringo101
Summary: Ciel has a new murder case from the Queen, but they have no leads and no suspects! How is he supposed to find a crazed killer when he can't even understand the things going on in his own head? Regarding a certain butler, Sebastian. YAOI and OC's...
1. Prologue

Hi EVeryOne!~ LOL, I'm actually really excited about this story!! XD lol, this is my first fanfic with a PLOT!!! not to mention my fist Kuroshitsuji FanFIc~ GyAA!!! I hope it's ok! :D.......anyways~ enjoy!!! (The Title May Change.....I don't know~....I'm just not really feelin' it XS)

Sebastian: "Disclaimer: Ringo~sensei does not own Kuroshitsuji. Only the idea for the story and any OC's..."

Ringo: *stares with heart shaped eyes*....."Sebas-chan....you're voice is so damn sexy~ say it again!!! XD"

Sebastian: ".....You'll have to wait 'till the next chapter.........and don't call me Sebas_-chan_."

Ringo: "damn.....oh, well....seeing and hearing more of Sebastian = 110% modivation to keep writing!!! XD

**Stripped By Your Flames**

A series of murders have been committed in London and of course it is up to the Queen's Dog, Ciel Phantomhive and his loyal butler Sebastian to solve it. But as the death toll rises and even Sebastian can find little to no information in the matter they will soon find the task to not be as easy as expected. Maybe even so~ difficult, that the Queen sends another Dog to lend its assistance. And to make things even more complicated for the young Earl, he can't understand these foreign feelings toward his butler!

* * *

**Prologue**

"W-What... do you want?" The young man managed to choke out.

His breathing became more laboured as the grip around his throat slowly began to tighten, but just as he was about to lose consciousness the hold disappeared. The young man coughed and gasped for air as he collapsed to the floor.

"What do _I_ want?" A silky voice questioned.

The said voice was silent for a minute as if they were really thinking about the question.

The young man was lightly shaking in fear, inaudible whimpers escaping his lips as he tried to stay as still as possible. But the silence continued to drag on and his body began to tense. The idea of making-a-break-for- it crossed his mind until he heard a _sigh_.

The young man couldn't help but glance up, his eyes slightly widening when he saw that the silky voice came from a man who appeared no older than twenty. But he was not completely sure; the room was far too dark to tell. The figure looked like no more than a shadow.

The shadow chuckled and grinned, the whiteness of his teeth glowing from the moonlight. "I have an idea of what I want. But I have no intention in telling you." He answered.

The young man felt a chill run up his spine; he knew this shadow was not going to let him go. Images of his wife and daughter appeared in his mind, he could see them so clearly. He could feel tears brim his eyes, wanting to escape as much as he did. He needed to get out of here—to see his family again.

"P-Please let me go." He begged.

The shadow tilted his head. "Do you have a later engagement? Or is it that you don't find my company intriguing enough?"

"Please." He said again. "I have a daughter..."

"Oh?" The shadow spoke, curiosity clear in his voice. "I would _love_ to meet her."

The young man shook his head nervously. "No! Please, not my daughter!"

There was a _snort_ in response. "It seems you've already realized that I don't plan on letting you live."

The young man looked up in shock and met a pair of crimson eyes.

"Don't worry." The shadow whispered. "I'll make it quick."

Before anymore words could be said the young man screamed as he was suddenly engulfed in flames. The shadow watched in pleasure as the helpless victim writhed in pain trying to put out the flames by rolling along the floor. Watching them suffer and plead for help was even more enjoyable.

As the screams quieted and the body became immobile there was nothing but the sound of the flames. The unnaturally hot fire continued to lick the flesh until there was nothing left but ash and bones.

The shadow bent down and spoke to the remains. "Don't fret. I have no intention in killing something as helpless as a child."

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a crimson red feather and a small piece of paper. Gently placing the objects on the ashes he whispered...

"Flames dance with you,

Lick and caress your flesh.

Leaving nothing behind

But a deafening silence."

* * *

**hmm.....so wut do u think??? please R&R!!!! It will get better soon~, I promise!!.......lol, "_I don't lie_" XD**


	2. Chapter 1: No Leads

Hells ya! finished ch.1!!! ( ^_^)b

Ciel: "Ringo....~sensei, does not own kuroshitsuji."

Ringo: "lol, thanks Ciel~."

* * *

**Chapter One: No Leads **

* * *

Outside was cold and gloomy; it truly reflected what London was like. The rain continued to pour, leaving the rich inside their warm and spacious homes and the deprived searching for shelter.

But for the residence of the Phantomhive Manor it was a typical day. Sebastian was busy with his daily duties and, as usual, getting interrupted with issues created by the other incompetent servants. When the young Lord stayed cooped up in his study, dealing with his company and the never ending piles of paper work.

_Knock, knock._ "Young Master. I have brought your afternoon tea."

"Come in."

Sebastian entered, carting his Master's tea and some delicate French pastries. He gracefully poured the tea into a fine porcelain cup and set it beside the papers, along with a golden pastry.

Ciel sighed and carefully angled the tea to his lips, savouring the aroma before taking a sip.

Sebastian had his trademark grin plastered on his face, and coughed lightly to get his Master's attention.

"Young Master, I have a letter for you from the Queen."

Ciel _sighed_ heavily and placed down his tea. "Read it for me."

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian swiftly opened the letter and gently unfolded the paper.

"Dearest Ciel," Sebastian read. "I have yet another task for you, regarding the murders that have been occurring in London."

Ciel glanced up from his papers with a confused look. "Why are we only learning of this now?" _We would at least hear this through a rumour..._ Ciel thought.

Sebastian continued. "There have already been three killed, all have been burned alive. I wish for this murderer to be caught before there are any more deaths to haunt the streets. I believe you will do well in succeeding my expectations... Her Majesty."

They stayed there silent for a minute. Ciel glanced at his tea and watched the liquid ripple as he drummed his fingers against the desk. Then leaned back against his chair and looked up at Sebastian.

"Ready the carriage."

"Yes, my Lord."

* * *

The streets of London looked dark and dingy. It was because the area of London they were currently in was not of the finest, with the poor and homeless wondering the side roads. Ciel observed that they looked no different than the rats from the sewers, scurrying about, looking for scraps.

Ciel _sighed_ and rubbed his temples with delicate hands. "Sebastian. Give me an overview of what we know so far."

"There have been three victims. All men; all burned alive. They were also all well-off,"

"Well-off?" Ciel questioned.

"Yes. One man was a journalist, the other a piano teacher," a smirk played across his lips. "As well as a Noble named Christopher Knight."

Ciel's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Were these men related in any way?"

"Yes. They all faced the same fate." Sebastian said simply.

Ciel glared at his butler, _this wasn't the time for jokes._

As soon as the carriage came to a stop Sebastian opened the door, stepping out first and offering a hand to his master. Ciel took it without delay. He always loved the feel of Sebastian's hand; of course he would never admit it.

"I should have known the Queen's dog would be here." A voice said grudgingly.

Ciel glanced over to see where the voice had come from. "You are correct that I would be here, Mr. Randall. After all, I can't remember the last time Scotland Yard actually solved a case." He said mockingly.

Randall snarled in distaste. "You _devil_ child."

_Snorting _Ciel walked by and entered the scene of the crime, his butler only a step behind. The room smelt of ash and... _Cinnamon?_ Ciel thought. He sneezed quietly; the room was filled with flouting particles of dust and ash. Covering his mouth and nose he slowly walked further into the room, his cane tapping the floor with every step. He assumed this was the crime scene of the piano teacher Sebastian had mentioned, seeing as there were two Vertical Studio pianos sitting to the left and book cases filled with different musical pieces. He stopped when he found what he was looking for, a pile of bones and smoky ashes.

But it wasn't the remains that caught his eye; it was the things lying on top.

"Sebastian." He motioned for him to grab the objects.

The butler kneeled down with undying grace and picked up the items. Ciel moved closer and examined the evidence; it was a red feather and a note. He took the paper from his butler and read the message.

"_Flames dance with you,_

_Lick and caress your flesh._

_Leaving nothing behind_

_But a deafening silence."_

"He seems like quite the poet. Does he not, Young Master?" Sebastian commented.

"Ah." Ciel said absentmindedly. He was more puzzled with the fact that the entire room was free of any damage from the fire except for the area which the remains were resting. He _sighed_ in frustration. There seemed to be nothing to give him a good lead to the murderer.

He turned to face Sebastian. "What do you make of that feather?"

"It is indeed a _real_ feather; there is also no evidence that it was dyed."

"So, you're saying that this came from a bird? A _red_ bird to be exact, but look at the size of it—it's longer than my hand!"

"Forgive me, Young Master. But I believe it is quite easy for something to be larger than your hand." He smirked.

Ciel's blue eye glared furiously. "Just who do you think you're talking to?"

"I do apologize."

"Tch. Whatever." Ciel made his way out, there seemed to be no other leads to follow. He stood beside the carriage waiting for Sebastian to open it.

Once he was inside, Sebastian was about to enter as well but he placed a hand in front of the butler's chest, barely touching it.

"Young Master?" His brow slightly rose.

"I want you to gather as much information as possible. I'll be expecting you back by dinner."

Sebastian studied Ciel intently; unable to read the faint and unfamiliar flicker that was in his Master's eye.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. "Yes, my Lord."

* * *

On the way back to the manor Ciel was having his own internal battle.

_What the hell is wrong with you Ciel?_ He questioned himself. _It's like you're finding any excuse to touch him! _He couldn't understand what was wrong with him, why his body seemed to move on its own whenever the chance came to have contact with Sebastian. He was his _servant_ for crying out loud! Not to mention a _demon!_

He shook his head in aggravation. He needed to focus on more important things, like this case. Pushing the thoughts of Sebastian to the side he retreated back into his former thoughts.

He was a coward for not confronting his feelings regarding Sebastian... and he knew it.

* * *

**was that ok~??? lol, I already have the next chapter planned out.....it _should_ be better!!! things will get more interesting soon!! i promise XD**

**pleaze~ R&R!!! It keeps me motivated! :D**


	3. Chapter 2: His Name

well, here's chapter 2~!!! lol, I'm just dying to get this story going and have Ciel realize that his feelings for Sebastian are actually "love"! XD

lol, I think the rating might change later on as well.....since I'm such a crazed-yaoi-fangirl and I want to see some "action" between them!!! *thinking of all the possibilities*

lol, anyways~ I think this chapter is _a lot _better than the last. :P...... Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji~

* * *

**Chapter 2: His Name **

As soon as Ciel returned to the manor he went back to his _exhausting_ paper work, signing and reading the never ending amount of documents. Within the next hour he concluded that he would much rather gouge out his eyes than to look at anymore text.

He sat there for a minute and let the writing utensil slip out of his grip, clattering onto the desk. He yawned lazily and rested his head on his arms, making a cushion. _Screw it. _He thought, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_It was a beautiful day. The sun was perfectly overhead, the birds were singing, and the garden he stood in was in full bloom. Everything seemed perfect... _

I must be dreaming. _Ciel thought._

"_Ciel darling, it's time for dinner. Bring Sebastian with you as well." A beautiful woman called._

Mom. _Ciel frowned slightly, this was such a random dream._

_He glanced down and saw that he was holding his dog's leash. He sighed inwardly. _

"_Let's go boy..." Ciel glanced over at his...Butler?! Sebastian was on his hands and knees, he had black floppy ears and a tail. It took him a minute to process the fact that he was completely naked! The only object he wore was a black leather collar._

What the hell has this dream turned into?!

_Ciel stared at him completely dumbfounded. Sebastian had on his usual smirk, but it looked a little more... _seductive_? He could feel his cheeks get a little hot, he was definitely blushing._

"_What's wrong Young Master? Won't you pat me? I have a terrible itch by my right ear."_

"_O-Okay... I guess." He hesitantly placed his hand on Sebastian's head than went to lightly scratching around his ears. His tail began to slowly wag back and forth, which made Ciel laugh lightly. _

_Sebastian sighed in content. "That feels really good, Young Master." _

_Ciel's blush returned and he stopped stroking his butler's hair. "We have to go, my mother was calling." He said as an excuse to halt the urge he had to continue touching his_ pet.

_With his hand still lingering in front of Sebastian's face he took the opportunity to lick his master's fingers. Ciel jumped in surprise and pulled it back._

"_What the hell are you doing?!" Embarrassment was clear on his face._

"_It is only natural for a pet of the Phantomhive family to thank his master with a lick, I would not be a good dog if I didn't do this much." He grinned._

_Sebastian suddenly stood up on his feet (knees) and brought his face down to his. They were mere inches apart. _

"_Of course, I can do a lot more than _that_." His tongue traced Ciel's soft lips..._

Oh God! What is happening?! _He closed his eyes tightly._

* * *

"_Young Master...Young Master..."_

_Sebastian?_

"Young Master." He tried a third time.

Ciel groaned and groggily opened his eyes. He brought his head up off the desk and looked up at his butler, that's when a blush crept to his face. _What the hell is wrong with me?! Such a vulgar dream! _

"Is the young Master not feeling well? Your face is flushed." Sebastian reached out as if to check his temperature but Ciel slapped his hand away.

"I'm fine." He said frowning. "Just tell me what you've learned."

Sebastian sighed. He actually looked a bit dissatisfied.

"I'm terribly sorry, Young Master. As I did find information it is not as much as you would like,"

"It's fine. Just tell me." He was willing to be forgiving and get his mind off _things._

"I gathered personal information of each man but there was nothing out of the ordinary. And all of the victims' remains had the same red feather as the one we looked at, as well as a note. But the poems themselves are different." He handed a piece of paper with the poems he had written down. Ciel read them carefully.

The first was from the journalist:

"_Cover you in a blanket of red,_

_Not that of blood_

_But of my flame._

_Are you to burn?"_

The second was from the Lord Knight:

"_The amount of tears_

_That escaped your eye_

_Could put out my flame_

_And leave us to drown."_

The third was from the piano teacher:

"_Flames dance with you,_

_Lick and caress your flesh._

_Leaving nothing behind_

_But a deafening silence."_

"And this is the order of the deaths?"

"Yes sir. The deaths are all separated by thirteen days which means the first victim was killed around 26 days ago."

Ciel stared at the second poem letting the words drift through his thoughts. It was much different than the other two poems, even if they all spoke of fire. But this was the only one that did not speak of burning..._why?_

"What do you make of the second one?" Ciel asked his butler.

"I believe that the _speaker_ is not referring to the victim, but someone else." Sebastian said simply.

"Because the first and third poem both reflect the outcome of what happened to the journalist and teacher." Ciel continued. "If the second poem spoke of Lord Knight, than he would have drowned instead."

Ciel continued to ponder. What did this all mean?

"Young Master. I believe it is time for dinner."

"Ah." Ciel stood up, his legs still felt heavy from his nap.

He cursed under his breath.

"Is the Young Master all right?" Sebastian asked looking a bit concerned.

"I'm fine, just a little stiff." He lied.

He was really pissed with the fact that he had such a fucked up dream. The thing that scared Ciel the most was that dreams were supposed to be reflections of your _unconscious_ desires.

_Than what the hell do I desire?_ He mentally asked but got no answer. He really didn't understand these things or what they meant.

...

* * *

London at night was defiantly not a place for children, especially when being in a more "run down" area. Drunks were wandering around picking fights with any man who looked at them and prostitutes could be found on every corner. It was truly a depressing sight, and being indoors was not much better.

"Did you hear? You know, about those murders..." A bulky man spoke to the bartender.

"Aha. They say that they were burned alive—nothin' left but ashes!"

"People are talkin' 'bout how this isn't the end of it. Saying how this killer's like a shadow and'll come out of know where and light you up like a fucken cigar—smoke ya until there's nothing left! But I also heard that that Earl Phantomive or whatever is working to figure out this thing. Like he did with that...what was it? Jack the Ripper?" The bulky man took a long gulp of his beer.

A chuckle came from a man at the end of the bar. He continued to swirl a glass of whisky but never took a sip, he seemed to be laughing at some private joke.

"What's so funny, eh? You got somethin' to say?" The bulky man looked over but couldn't see the man's eyes, for they were covered by his ruby coloured hair. He also wore what looked to be a Newsboy cap.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help but listen to your conversation."

The bartender gave him a strange look. "Tell me boy. How is people getting murdered funny?"

The man smiled. "It's not."

"Then why you smiling?"

"Even though you're scared of death you speak so freely of him. What if he was in this bar right now and you offended him?" He pulled out a single match and swiftly lit it. He continued to intently watch the flame as it burned, creeping down the match until it touched his finger tips. He smiled, blowing out the flame and licking his finger.

"Such a pleasant feeling, when a flame kisses your skin." He sighed in bliss.

The two men watched the man with wide eyes; they felt a little scared from his strange and sudden action.

"No offence boy, but you're kinda scaring me." The bartender finally spoke.

"Sorry, that was never my intention." He smiled. "I was only warning you because this killer seems merciless and not very _forgiving_." He added extra emphasise on the last word.

"I-I thank you then." The bartender turned away and got back to his work.

"Hey now." The bulky man stated. "I'm here all the time but I've never seen you around here, you gotta name or somthin?"

The man sighed. "Yes. But as far as I'm concerned it's rude to ask for someone's name before giving your own." He faced the man but his eyes were still hidden.

"The name's Edgar, and you boy?" He put out his hand in the form of a handshake.

The man looked at it but didn't take it.

"My name..." He stood from his chair and walked up beside the man, moving his mouth toward Edgar's ear.

"N-Now kid, you seem like a nice guy and all but I-I don't..."

Chris fell silent when he saw the crimson eyes looking right back at his; he felt a strange chill as if this _boy_ was looking straight into his soul.

"My name good sir is none of your concern." With that he left the exited the bar, leaving Edgar completely dumbfounded.

* * *

The man walked gracefully through the ally, his footsteps made no sound making him move like a phantom. He stopped and chuckled. _Phantom?_

_How amusing. _He thought_. I can't wait to see how this Earl Phantomhive_ _will find me. I think I'll lend him a hand by giving him some more _evidence_._

It had already been three days since he enjoyed the company of a wild flame as it stripped off the flesh of a lucky victim. He had originally planned to make the deaths a lengthy thirteen days apart. But he _longed_ to feel the burning sensation resonate throughout his body; he _needed_ to be reunited with his fiery lover!

He let out a laugh and threw out his arms, looking up at the pitch black sky.

"Come and get me Earl! Make this chase more enjoyable!"

He let out a breathless sigh, regained his composure and continued his walk down the alley.

_Phoenix... is waiting._

...

* * *

**,yay~....lol, I couldn't help myself when it came to Ciel's "dream" XD. **

**lol, it's funny cause after I wrote and read over it again the next day (cause I was half asleep) I looked at the one part when Sebastian was being all _seductive _and licked Ciel, I was just like**** "what the hell? Am I trying to imagine it being "me" instead of _Ciel?!_.....I wouldn't be surprised (= =)ll" ---cause I had changed it to first person!!!! XD It was like:**

_Sebastian suddenly stood up on his feet (knees) and brought my face down to his. We were mere inches apart. _

_"Of course, I can do a lot more than _that_." His tongue traced my lips..._

**Hahaha~,,,...I thought it was funny, :P anywho,**

**Now we Know what the Killer's name is! Phoenix!!! (seems to suit him well...)**

**:)**

**PLEAZE R&R!!! **It doesn't have to be filled with flatery or anything, just an "I want the next chapter!" or "keep up the good work"......lol


	4. Chapter 3: A Message?

finally!!! I was going to add this ch. like, 3 days ago but I've been so busy~

so, here it is-- hope u enjoy it :D

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Message?**

* * *

Ciel lay sleeplessly in bed. His mind was constantly turning, trying to understand and figure out a way to catch this killer.

He had spent the last three days looking over all of the evidence and anything else related to the deaths. He had read the poems over a dozen times, seeing if there was some kind of riddle or hidden code, but he found nothing.

He had also researched things regarding the fire itself, if one could prevent other objects from burning and only engulf what they wanted by using scientific means. But that was unheard of.

One man had even called these murders a natural phenomenon; others say the murders were being committed by a _phantom. _

Ciel rolled his eyes, recalling the news paper he had read the other day.

It had spoken about _The Phantom_~, saying that "evil spirits" had obviously corrupted a "poor unkempt soul" and had influenced this misunderstood individual into killing the people around him. And that he had lost his way, in other words, "his trust in god."

It was hard to understand how people could believe in something that had no proof of being true, or even _real_. "God is listening," they would say, "but it is up to you to make your own path." It seemed like God was simply a psychologist, that didn't give strait answers and didn't get paid.

Ciel sighed. He rolled over onto his side, but didn't feel that comfortable. He rolled again, not conscious of the fact that he was too close to the edge and--.

_BANG!_

He groaned. _That...hurt._

He didn't bother to move and continued to stay sprawled on the floor, the cold surface felt nice on his skin.

"Young Master?"

"Ah!" He jumped a bit and glared up at Sebastian.

He hated the fact that his neck was completely inclined to simply look at the man.

"Could you not warn me of your presence before giving me a heart attack?"

"My deepest apologies, but I had come to make sure you were all right." He smirked, obviously finding it amusing that the Earl had fallen out of bed.

"Well as you can see, I'm fine." He rested his head back down on the floor and began to feign sleep.

"With all due respect Young Master, you'll catch a cold if you sleep on the floor."

"Then put me back to bed, Sebastian." He muttered.

He reached over and put the candelabra onto the bed side table before bending down to pick up his master, in the way of a princess. He couldn't help but chuckle at this.

Ciel glared at him with mismatched eyes. "Why is it that you find _everything_ so amusing?"

He looked back at his master with a raised brow. "Not _everything._" He countered.

"Why do you say it like that?" his eyes narrowed.

With a smirk he replied. "I find everything that _you_ do, amusing, Young Master."

Ciel's eyes widened a bit and his cheeks turned to a soft pink. He turned away to hide his face. "That sounds more like an insult. I'm not some comedian you can get a laugh out of."

Sebastian placed him back in bed and pulled up the covers. "You may call it an insult if you like." He took the candelabra and went to exit the room.

"But," he turned back to his master. "It is not that easy to keep a demon _amused."_

With that he left a bewildered Ciel.

...

* * *

That morning Ciel was completely exhausted. He had hardly slept last night due to the stress of figuring out the case. And when sleep had finally taken over he had the strangest—no! The most provocative dream he ever had! (That he remembered).

_It's that entire damn demon's fault!_ He accused Sebastian of being the reason for _that_ dream, because his mind had ended up being occupied on what it was that Sebastian would find "amusing."

Ciel grimaced at the recollection.

***

"_Sebastian, do I amuse you?"_

"_Very often, Young Master." He replied._

"_Oh...how _do _I amuse you?" He asked curiously._

_Sebastian smirked. "You simply do things that surprise me. I find it amusing because you often say or do something that does not always fit your character."_

Ciel thought of a moment he had done something unlike his usual self. _Oh...that._ He recalled the time when he had asked Sebastian to stay with him until he had fallen asleep. Compared to his usual "almighty" self he had shown _weakness_.

"_So," Ciel began. "You like when I do something that you would not expect?"_

"_Yes, you could say that." _

_Ciel moved closer to his butler and pushed him back, letting him fall into a sitting position on the nearby chair._

_He leaned in close and whispered in his demon's ear. "Then let me do something _unexpected_."_

_He moved away from Sebastian and began to slowly sway his hips, dancing to a rhythm only he could hear._

_Sebastian looked at him with complete shock as his master began to sway with a silent melody. He looked at him seductively and began to slowly unbutton his shirt, stripping off his clothing._

What the hell?! _Ciel's mind screamed. He was doing a friken "_lap dance"_ for Sebastian! And he couldn't do anything; his body was moving on its own. _

_Ciel, now in only his white dress shirt and underwear, slowly moved back to Sebastian. He began to caress his chest and remove his tie, opening the collar of his shirt. He began to kiss and nibble at the man's beautiful neck._

Shit! What the hell am I doing?! Wake up Ciel—wake up!

_Their eyes met and Ciel could see the fiery glow within those captivating orbs._

_He was completely entranced by them and leaned in, locking his lips with the demon's._

_He was now straddling him with his arms wrapped around his neck._

_Breaking the kiss he whispered huskily."Is this amusing enough, Sebastian?"_

_Sebastian chuckled. "Very...But I know how to make it more _enjoyable_." His hand trailed down Ciel's chest and began to slip between the waistbands of his undergarments. _

_Ciel's eyes widened and his face started to burn._ What the—

...

"Fuck?!" He rose out of bead, unaware that he had just blurted a very vulgar word.

He was breathing heavily and looked over towards the curtains. There stood Sebastian, surprised by his master's outburst.

"I'm surprised the Young Master knows such a word." The butler had on his usual smirk.

His face turned pink. "W-what are you doing in my room Sebastian?"

"It's morning sir. I was about to wake you up."

"Ah."

***

Ciel had his head in his hands. He did not need any more stress and the two last dreams were _not_ helping him. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate?

He sat at his desk with a look of...well, he was simply _pissed._

Sebastian could sense his master's foul mood and refrained from doing anything to provoke him any further. But he knew it would be impossible and decided to face the Earl head-on.

"Young Master."

"What?" His eyes shot daggers at his butler.

Sebastian inwardly chuckled. _If looks could kill..._

"The paper came this morning and I had a feeling that you would want to look at It." he handed him the newspaper.

Ciel snatched it out of his hands and read the front cover.

_**The Phantom Strikes Again!**_

His brows knitted together. Why had the killer struck again? It had only been four days since the last murder, what had happened to the thirteen days apart?

Ciel glared at nothing in particular. They needed to get a move on.

"Sebastian, we're leaving. We can't let this guy make another move!"

He swiftly walked out with utter determination.

_This was no longer a simple game of chess._

_..._

* * *

Ciel shuddered a bit. They had come here countless times and he still wasn't used to it. Sebastian opened the creaky door, they both walked into the dark and dusty space.

"I knew~ you would come, Earl~." The Undertaker snickered.

Ciel nodded. He wanted to get this over with. "I'm guessing you want a joke or something, right?"

The Undertaker simply grinned and waved his hand. "I'm fe~eling generous today. Besides, someone has already come and given me~ a large supply of laughs."

"Who?" The Earl was intrigued to know who would come to see such a creepy guy.

He snickered. "I don't know. I couldn't see~ his face and~ he never gave me his name."

"Then what did he want?"

"_Fufufu, _he gave me~ a message to pass on." He pointed a long finger in Ciel's direction. "To you."

"To me?" His eye widened slightly.

"Yes~." The Undertaker handed him a piece of paper.

Ciel took it and read over it carefully. He was surprised to see that it was an actual _letter_.

_Dear Earl Phantomhive,_

_As you have probably found out, there has been another victim. Of course I knew he was a dead man before he even died. Why you ask? Simple, I find my current name "The Phantom" very insulting. Not because it's closely related to yours but because it has absolutely no relationship to my beautiful, everlasting flame. _

_This pompous writer had the nerve to give me such a title, so I had no choice but to express my annoyance. But then again, maybe I'm just making up excuses. After enjoying the dance he shared with my fiery lover I had completely forgotten why I had killed him in the first place. _

_So, forgive me and simply ignore that slip of mine. That man is not related to my cause._

_Regards Anonymous_

Ciel stared at the nothing in particular.

_How did he know that I would come to visit the Undertaker?_

He looked back at the note and flipped it over.

_Burning me with desire_

_And leaving me breathless._

_I look down upon you_

_Craving a crimson kiss._

_You can love me completely_

_But never ashen me._

"Sebastian, translate what he means." He handed him the poem.

Sebastian barely glanced at the text. "He's giving clues to his name."

"And those are?"

Sebastian smirked. "I desire to be burned as you are, left completely breathless. I look down upon you from above wanting to be kissed by the flame as well. The fire can engulf me entirely but I will never burn or die by its hand."

Ciel looked at him confused. "So he's saying he can't be burned by fire... what does that have to do with his name?"

"Think back to the other clues Earl." The Undertaker snickered, "What did the~ red feather mean..."

_A red bird that is in love with fire...so what?_

Ciel just wanted to know his name! Sebastian chuckled.

He turned to look straight into his butler's scarlet eyes. "I order you to tell me his name."

Sebastian could feel a faint tingling on his hand.

"His name is _Phoenix."_

_

* * *

_

* * *

so~ how was it??? lol, everytime Ciel has a dream and wakes up I'm just like-- "Damn it, Ciel!!! Why do you always wake up when you were about to get to the good part?!?!"

lol, anyways. pleaze **R&R**


	5. Chapter 4: Realization

ok~ so here's ch. 4!!! yay~

Ringo: "so sad~....there's no smexy dream in this chapter." XS

Ciel: "Thank god."

Ringo: "I thought you didn't believe in god?" :P

Ciel: "It's a figure of speech.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Realization**

* * *

Ciel couldn't believe it took four whole days before they had actually found something of importance—the killer's _name_.

With this new information he made sure to get Sebastian to warn the writers of _The Times _to refer to the killer as _Phoenix,_ should they ever write of him again. Which Ciel doubted, since everyone in the news department was scared for their lives after finding out that one of their coworkers had been killed for writing about the previous _Phantom_.

But he couldn't help but feel a little used. Since he had done what the killer had wanted him to do, making his name known.

He sighed lightly and looked down at the book in his hands, _The World's Myths and Legends._

It was defiantly something he would never consider to be his type of reading material.

He read through what was said about the Phoenix:

"_A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. It has a 500 to 1,000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song. In very few stories they are able to change into people." _

Ciel laid down the book and leaned back into his chair. He still didn't understand what this Phoenix guy wanted. There was a lot of information about a phoenix but nothing fit what this guy was doing. It seemed like the name Phoenix was being used by him in a way for others to acknowledge his relation—or should he say _obsession_ with fire.

It reminded him of Grell's fixation with the colour red, which could only mean that this guy was probably crazy.

_Wait a minute..._Ciel pondered.

"Sebastian." He murmured.

His butler entered the library. Every step he took was soundless.

"You called, Young Master."

Ciel stood from his chair to better present himself. "Tell me. Is this Phoenix a _Shinigami_?—is he even human? Because there is no way that this guy could get away with these obscure acts of murder if he was."

He looked straight into the eyes of the demon. "Not to mention the fact that he has even managed to make _you_ unsuccessful in finding him."

Sebastian had on a stone-cold face. He was obviously not amused.

In fact, he was simply annoyed and pissed-off. He felt like a useless _dog_ unable to further assist his master, like he had in the past. He couldn't help but feel a bitter grudge against this Phoenix character. He was not only making him look-bad but also causing his master sleepless nights!

"Forgive me, Young Master. I am ashamed to say that I have little to no idea what he is." He smirked. "But there is most certainly a higher power at work."

Ciel sighed and plopped back onto his chair. "This game is getting tiresome."

The entire situation was a case of the-blind-leading-the-blind. It was like a game of chess with an empty board. The only visible pieces were a King and its Knight.

...

* * *

Ciel sat at his desk exasperated. He seemed to be spending much of the last week rooted in front of the desk with a mountain of papers as company.

Another two days had past and they still had nothing—and there would continue to be _nothing_ until another was killed...and this was a sad reality.

Not only that. Ciel could barely look at Sebastian without blushing madly and becoming a stuttering moron while speaking to him. It was because of these random flash-backs now and again of those crude dreams. He was beginning to suspect that he might be some kind of closet-pervert.

And it didn't help that his butler would ask if he was "all right" with that usual smirk, as if he knew what he was thinking.

"Young Master."

"What is it?" He didn't bother looking from his papers.

"It would seem that our friend has lost his patience." His eyes shimmered slightly.

Ciel rubbed his eyes out of exhaustion. "Whom do you speak of? And what do you mean by _patience_?"

"There's been another murder."

His visible eye widened slightly as he stood from his chair. "Sabas--,"

"Don't worry Young Master," He interrupted. "I've already prepared the carriage."

...

* * *

When they arrived at the scene of the crime Ciel could tell it had taken much less travel time than before, probably because Sebastian was the driver.

Ciel exited the carriage with help from his butler and examined where they were. They stood before a fabric/repair shop.

"A tailor?"

"Yes." He replied. "I found out everything I could about him, but there was nothing out of the ordinary."

Ciel looked at the shop for a minute and then began to walk towards it.

"You must be that Earl investigating the Phoenix crimes."

Ciel glanced over at the said voice. He was a bulky man with brown hair and middle class apparel.

"What makes you think that I am the Earl whom you speak of?"

The bulky man scratched his head. "Come now kid. I may be poor but I ain't stupid, as if a nobleman like you would even think'a coming to a place like this and not mean business."

Ciel smirked. "Well than sir..."

"Edgar." He replied.

"Edgar. May I ask why you are wandering around the scene of the crime?"

He frowned. "The guy who worked here, Taylor, was an acquaintance of mine—I was commin' round to pick up my coat he was fixing when I heard a scream... and then nothin' but a silence. But I don't know if it was him or not."

He looked at him sceptically. "You didn't bother to see if the scream had come from him?"

"Listen kid. The door's locked and I can't afford to be charged for doing a B.N.E."

Ciel sighed. "Sebastian, break down the door."

A smirk played across his lips. "Yes, my Lord."

He laid his hand over the handle and snapped open the door, making some of the wood splinter.

He focused his eyes back to Ciel. "After you."

Edgar trembled a bit and clasped his hands together to ease the shaking. Ciel noticed.

"Is something the matter?"

He laughed nervously. "Sorry kid. Your butler just made me a little nervous." He paused. "His eyes remind me a lot of this young lad I met at the bar the other night."

_His eyes?_ Ciel had a strange premonition about this guy. But he also felt that he knew something that they didn't.

"Why don't you come inside as well? I'd like to hear more about this _young lad_."

They all entered the ashen room. It was almost identical to the one from before, only the decor was different. There was the same pile of ashes, along with the poem and the red feather. Sebastian bent down and collected the objects placing them in his pocket for later inspection.

"Now then," Ciel began. "Who's this individual you met that resembled my butler?"

"Well, first off. The kid was creepy. I mean I can't really remember much of what he said... come to think of it, I can't remember much at all—only his eyes."

Edgar was rubbing his head. He seemed to be really struggling with recalling the other night.

"His...His eyes looked like fire." He began to pull out a cigarette. "I-I mean I was really scared when he looked at me with those eyes. Like he was lookin' right into me—like he was violating my soul." His hand shook as he pulled out a match.

Sebastian stood listening to the conversation, but also glancing around looking a little confused.

_This smell...what is it..._

His eyes widened when he realized what it was. "Young Master!"

Edgar lit the match and a huge fiery explosion filled the room, debris went flying along with broken glass.

Sebastian lunged with incredible speed and took Ciel in his arms, shielding his body with his.

Ciel barely saw what happened—one minute he was listening to Edgar's description and the next he was being securely held in his butler's arms.

He couldn't see anything with his face buried in Sebastian's chest but the sound of the fiery explosion was deafening. He didn't even hear Edgar's wail as he was engulfed.

Once the room was still Sebastian loosened his grip around the boy but continued to hold him in his arms. Ciel opened his eye, never realizing he had closed it.

"S-Sebastian," he stuttered. "What just happened?"

He stood up and released his master, brushing the dirt off his shoulders.

"It appears as though a trap was set. I presume it was Phoenix who situated it."

Ciel could hear a strange tone in Sebastian's voice and glanced up to look at his eyes. He was surprised to see they had almost _softened_—it had to be his imagination.

"Forgive me. I should have noticed it earlier." He reached out and wiped away a smear of dirt that had marked his master's handsome face.

He leaned his face into the gentle touch of his hand. It felt so familiar, so warm. He truly loved--.

_...Loved_?

He blushed and pushed the hand away, along with his lingering thoughts. What the hell was he thinking at a time like this?

Ciel glanced over and could see Edgar's crumpled body lying awkwardly on the floor. It was plain to see that he was dead.

"How exactly did this happen?"

"The particles in the air were not only of ash, but of gunpowder as well. I was unable to recognize it, for the two scents had already mingled." He looked to Ciel and could feel a foreboding anger resonating off him.

He sighed. "You may punish me if you wish—I did, after all, lose our only possible witness."

Ciel was shaking his head before he even finished talking. "I'm not angry at you." He turned away, no longer facing Sebastian.

"We got more than we needed...There is no loss from his death."

He bent down and grabbed his cane which he had dropped earlier.

He was very much at a loss to how Phoenix knew that they would be here. Was it just a coincidence or was Edgar a useless pawn that he sacrificed...the whole situation seemed like a performance, with Phoenix as the narrator...

"Sebastian. I want you to find the bar that he spoke of and find any possible suspects or witnesses."

"Would you like to return to the manor before I begin my investigation?"

"No. I'll wait in the carriage."

He had no interest in hearing the sounds of chaos at home from the other problematic servants.

All he wanted was to be left alone.

...

* * *

Ciel sat in silence, the only sound was a high-pitched singing from the crickets. Sebastian had made sure to take his master to a safer and more remote place where he was unlikely to be bothered.

He stretched and removed his top hat, placing it on the seat opposite to him. Laying down on his side he slowly closed his eye. He might as well get some sleep.

His visible eye shot open. There was no way he was going to sleep; he knew that sleeping meant dreaming.

He could only imagine the twisted scenarios that his unconscious mind would create.

A light blush formed on his face and he buried his head in his arms. What was wrong with him?

He rolled his eyes. _What a stupid question. Of course there's something wrong with me—look at all I've been through!_

He sighed and sat up. He was so confused.

Why did he feel this way? Why was he always craving Sebastian's touch? Why did he always desire to hear his voice?

All of these questions played though Ciel's head over and over again.

He sat there for who knows how long, until he gasped lightly. Only one answer came to his mind and the realization scared him.

_...I'm in love with Sebastian._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

YES!! Ciel finally realized his love for Sebastian~ 3

lol, but I think this ch was boring :P, hopfully the next one will be better. :)

**PLEAZE R&R!!!**


	6. Chapter 5: Daring

**hey there everyone~ here's chapter 5!!! yay~  
btw, I think Ciel is a little OOC on some parts.... which sucks :P ....let me know if u think so or not :)**

**anyways, enjoy! :D**

**......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

**Chapter 5: Daring**

**......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

Sebastian jumped from roof to roof, the cool night air blowing through his hair with every jump. He wished to finish things quickly, he had no desire in leaving his master on his own, and after all, the boy would be helpless in a dangerous situation. Though, he would still enjoy seeing Ciel in a risky predicament—it never seized to amuse him.

He halted and eyed the bar. He had already stopped and questioned most in the area, this was the only one left. It had to be the one that Edgar spoke of.

Sebastian stepped off the ledge of the building and landed softly on the brick surface. He began to make his way towards the bar, but of course he would not make it in without being noticed...

"Hi, handsome. Are you looking for a good time?" A young woman with blond hair stood beside the lamp post.

He continued to walk. "Forgive me milady, but I am on an errand." The young woman blushed from being called something so formal.

Entering the bar, he tried to act and look as normal as he could. Which for him was impossible—he was far too groomed and well mannered to be seen in such a place.

He stood at the bar and grabbed a seat.

"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked.

Sebastian smirked. "I'll have whatever he is having." He nodded to the man beside him.

The bartender nodded and prepared his beverage.

Sebastian glanced around. There was definitely nothing and no one out of the ordinary.

"Here ya go son. One whisky on the rocks." He placed it on a small napkin.

"Thank you sir." He smiled. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

"I don't mind." The man eyed him cautiously.

Sebastian outlined the rim of his glass with a gloved finger. "Was there a young man here the other night that seemed _odd_?"

The bartender scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, there was a strange kid here. Can't remember what he looks like though... I never saw his face."

"Did he speak to you or anyone else?"

He scrunched his brows trying to remember. "He spoke with me a little bit and another man named Edgar. You could always ask Ed about him... it's strange though." The man looked around. "He hasn't come in today."

Sebastian smirked. "What did the 'kid' talk about?"

"I really don't remember. All I can recall is that Ed was acting weird after he left."

Sebastian sighed; he knew he wasn't going to get much more out of this guy.

"I see." He pulled out some coins and placed them beside the drink he left untouched. "Thank you for your time."

With that he left, ready to return to his master.

_This Phoenix case is becoming more and more troublesome._

_..._

**.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

Ciel sat beside a tree with his back rested against it. He felt really stupid and pathetic right now, but he couldn't lose much more. For his pride was already withering.

He glared at the daisies beside him and picked one. Taking a deep breath he pinched one of the soft petals and plucked it...

_He loves me..._

He grabbed a second petal...

_He loves me not..._

He continued this until he reached the last petal, his expression softened.

"He loves me..." He whispered. _As if demons could love._

"Did you say something Young Master?"

"Ahh!" He jumped, almost tripping himself, Sebastian steadied him. Ciel didn't bother pushing him away.

"I thought I told you to warn me of your presence beforehand." He couldn't help but glare up at him.

He smirked. "But you were staring at the flower to intently," He grabbed his master's wrist to examine the daisy. "Or should I say _stem_?"

Ciel blushed and took the petal-less flower with his free hand, throwing it to the ground.

"Never mind that!" He could feel a pleasant sensation on his wrist from Sebastian's hand—how he wished for it to stay like that. "Release me."

He complied and removed his grasp. Amusement was plain on his face. _What could the Young Master be hiding? _

"Did you find any suspects?"

Sebastian's smirk flipped into a frown. "No. I've talked to some who believe they have met Phoenix but they all remember nothing of him."

"I see..." He looked down to his shoes.

"Let us go home, Sebastian. It's quite late and I'm tired."

He brought a hand to his chest. "Yes, my Lord."

**........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

As the Phantomhive's carriage drove off and disappeared into the distance a low chuckle was heard from a young man. He stood alone in the middle of the road.

"What's so funny?" A masculine voice asked.

He grinned. "I'm taking quite a liking to this Ciel. He has such a fiery vengeance—plus he's quite beautiful. It would be a shame if I should have to kill him."

"Phoenix, what are you up to? I still don't understand why you're doing all of this."

He laughed. "You say that but you know exactly why I'm doing this." He turned and started walking. "You of all people should know me best."

"That's what makes me sick—to be bound to such a cruel monster like you."

"You should be used to it by now." His light humour disappeared. "I don't understand you. We've been like this for six years now but you still won't accept what I'm doing. That this is what you truly desire—that everything I've done is for your sake!"

"I didn't want this! I've never wanted this!" The masculine voice yelled. "To see all of these innocent people die--."

"They're not innocent." Phoenix interrupted. "You know as well as I do, because we're the same."

"We're not the same! We're not..." The voice began to grow weak.

"There's no need to get all upset. Just relax." He smiled. "Your desired wish will soon be granted."

"It's not my wish...it's yours...and I don't want...anything from you." The voice was quieting. "You'd be better off dead."

"Oh, come now. You know I can't do that."

There was no reply, the voice was gone.

He chuckled. "For when I go, you go."

...

**.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

Ciel sat inside the bathtub; the warm water felt pleasant and soothed his tired muscles. But in his relaxation he was still very aware that Sebastian was standing near and it made him a little flustered.

_How stupid. Why should I be nervous?—he's seen my naked body countless times._ But now he was very much conscious of the butler. Just seeing him remove his coat and gloves, it truly made his heart fly.

"Young Master would you like the lavender or vanilla scented soup?"

He didn't really care; he just wanted those beautiful hands to move across his skin.

"Vanilla." He replied.

Sebastian took the bottle and poured the soft yellow liquid onto the damp cloth. He massaged the soupy cloth a few times before bringing it to his master's skin. He started with his back and rubbed in a slow circling motion, gradually moving towards his shoulders and arms. When the back of him was clean he moved to the side of the tub to better reach the boy's chest and legs.

Ciel watched him intently. He always knew that Sebastian was good looking, with his lean body, perfect features, silky hair, and captivating eyes. He could make a very large list just on his physical perfection.

Looking at him now, in Ciel's eyes Sebastian was much more than his perfect butler—he was his everything.

Ciel rolled his eyes. _My "everything"...I'm starting to sound like some love-struck-maiden—how incredibly lame._

"Is there something amusing, Young Master?" Sebastian's eyes looked at him curiously.

"No. Why do you ask?"

He smirked. "Because you're smiling, plus you've been staring at me for quite a while."

Ciel blushed and averted his eyes. "I was just thinking."

Ciel braced his hands on the rim and stood from the tub, the towel was instantly draped over his shoulders.

.

.

.

Sebastian fastened the last button of Ciel's night shirt and opened the covers for him to crawl in. Fluffing the pillows the boy climbed in and laid down his head, he felt so tired.

He pulled the covers over the small body. "Good night, Young Master."

He was about to leave but Ciel snatched the tail of his coat. He turned and looked at the boy with a raised brow.

Ciel didn't look at his butler. "Sebastian." He paused for a minute still holding the coat.

He didn't know what to say. He just wanted him to stay by his side, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'm cold." He muttered.

"Would you like another blanket?" He asked kindly.

Ciel felt like smacking his head in disbelief. _Not a blanket you fool! I want _you_ to warm _me_—not the damn bedspread!_

He sighed. "No."

Sebastian looked at him confused. "Then, what is it you--,"

"Get in the bed, Sebastian." His voice was calm.

Sebastian didn't move he just looked at him with a surprised expression that quickly changed to amusement.

"Is that an order?"

"It is."

He removed his tail coat and shoes with his usual grace. Ciel scooted over to make room for him; he lifted the covers and climbed in beside his master.

Ciel lay on his side not facing the man beside him. He was still embarrassed with how strait forward he had been.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _No point in holding back now._

He shifted closer to him, with his back now touching his arm and his feet against his leg. He could feel how stiff his butler was, laying flat on his back, perfectly strait.

"Sebastian, relax a bit...It's like sleeping beside a board." He complained.

He chuckled lightly. "Forgive me. What is it that I should do to be more un-board like?"

Ciel's eyes slit. _Now he's just messing with me._

He was feeling quite daring and confident for some reason so he took the initiative. Sitting up he reached over and grabbed the arm furthest from him pulling it over so that Sebastian was now on his side—in other words, Sebastian was _spooning _him.

"Young Master?"

"Don't say a word." He said with assertiveness. He really didn't feel like talking. "Just stay like this...until morning."

Sebastian didn't speak, as he was told not to. Instead he wrapped his arm around the young boy more securely, bringing him closer so that his back was rested against his chest.

With that, Ciel had the most peaceful sleep he had had in a long time—with no unsettling dreams about his butler, for he had the real thing right next to him.

...

**......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

The next morning Ciel sat up in bed enjoying a hot cup of Jackson's Earl Grey. He felt much more refreshed today, but he felt that his state of 'freshness' wouldn't last very long. Since he knew he didn't have the nerve to ask Sebastian to stay with him a second night. He still had his pride to take care of.

"Young Master, would you like the scone or the French pastry?"

He yawned before answering. "...scone."

_Knock, knock._

Ciel looked at the door confused. "Come in."

The door opened steadily with a quiet creaking, Maylene poked her head through the opening.

"Ah, Y-Young Master—I have a l-letter for you that one of the Q-Queen's messengers dropped off."

_A letter from the Queen?_

Sebastian walked over. "Thank you Maylene." He took the letter from her. "You may get back to your chores now." He smiled at her.

"Y-YES! R-right away, Mr. Sebastian~!" Her face quickly turned beat-red.

_Kyaa~ Mr. Sebastian!!! Don't look at me in such a way in front of the Young Master!_

She quickly left tripping and stumbling.

Sebastian closed the door behind him and handed Ciel the letter.

He swiftly tore it open and read it.

...

_Dearest Ciel,_

_This case is becoming far more severe than it was initially. I have been informed of the other murders that have been committed as well as you yourself being targeted. I long for everyone's safety as well as yours—I only wish for this killer to be caught. So, I am sending someone to lend you their assistance. They are well versed in problem solving and I'm sure they will be of help to you. They will arrive at your manor tomorrow afternoon, for I have already told them of the situation._

_Stay safe. Her Majesty._

_..._

Ciel stared at the letter for a moment and then handed it to Sebastian. He eyed it for a second and chuckled.

"It would appear that you are not the only loyal _dog_, Young Master."

He looked at his butler. "What's with you and dogs?"

"I _hate dogs_...actually, I detest them."

"Hmm." Ciel handed him his empty cup and got out of bed.

"Sebastian," He smirked. "Be a good _dog_ and make sure the manor is presentable for our guests."

"Yes, my Lord." He bowed slightly.

Ciel raised a delicate brow. "Strange, I didn't know that dogs could talk." He said sarcastically.

His brow twitched in irritation. "_Woof_."

**..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................**

**so~...how was it??? lol, this ch seemed a lot longer than the other ones. :P  
anyways. *if anyone was confused on the part with Phoenix and the voice that was in his head--- don't worry!!! it will all make sence later on :D..........I hope...**

**lol, I'm actually a little nervous to introduce my OC's.......I hope they turn out all right!!! D:**

**btw, the next chap will be out in a week or so....it all depends on my motivation/lazyness level XS**

**I also wanted to thank you for all of the favourited/reviews/alerts I got from you amazing readers--- thank u very much \( ^_^)/**

**PLEAZE R&R!!!**


	7. Chapter 6: Awaited Guests

lol, soooo ur all probably going "what took ya so long?", cause i'm asking myself the same question. the truth is I've been having a major writers' block, I was also a little lazy and wasn't in the mood, than there is also the issue with the end of the school year and having to study for all of my finals. XS -but I made sure to make this ch. longer than the others!

anyways, this next ch. is well, ...ya...I don'y know~~~ u'll have to read to find out :)...lol, sry it's like...3:00 a.m. right now and I usually go to bed at 10:30 every night :P  
lol, I should be sleeping but i didn't want to lose the ideas that were in my mind at the time. XD ...if my parents find me still awake and using the lap top... I'm dead O_O

anyways just in case u don't know:

Thinking: _Sebastian can tie a sakura branch into a bow knot with his tongue._

Talking: "Sebastian can tie a sakura branch into a bow knot with his tongue."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

**Chapter 6: Awaited Guests**

For once the manor felt calm, almost peaceful—god knows how long that would last.

Sebastian had wanted to get things done smoothly without any annoyances, for the awaited _dog_ would be arriving this afternoon. He had taken the time to make a lemon meringue pie, specially made for the other servants.

Of course it wasn't out of kindness that he had offered it to them, it was simply made to be an undisruptive distraction. But of course the other servants still gushed and ranted about how "amazing" and "thoughtful" he was.

He allowed them to have their minute of gratitude and then quickly excused himself saying he had "much work to do."

...

After finishing with the final touches of the guest room he went to the second one across the hall, for all he knew there would be more than one visitor.

He swiftly replaced the bed with clean sheets and dusted every surface with inhuman speed. The room looked perfect, to say the least.

With a quick inspection of his work he walked over to the curtains and pulled them open further, allowing more light to flow through. The sunlight streamed though and painted the room with a warm glow.

He stood there for a minute. He was very much ahead of schedule so he took the time to let his mind wander.

He smirked at the memory of his Master—asking him to stay with him the other night. And not just _stay_ but actually sleep and cuddle him. It was so strange for the Young Master to be so bold with his actions, especially _those_ types of actions. Maybe it was just his inner-child wanting to be loved and coddled...or maybe it was something else.

_What could be going on in the Young Master's pretty little head?_

...

Sebastian pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at the time. They would be here any minute. He walked soundlessly down the hall to his Master's study and lightly tapped on the door. He heard a curt reply and let himself in.

"Young Master."

"What is it?" Ciel had his head between his hands looking at all of the evidence and information they had accumulated. There was so much of it but it helped so little.

Sebastian smirked a bit. The young boy's expressions never ceased to amuse him; he especially loved that distressed face he would sometimes make.

"They will be here in exactly five minutes." He said casually.

Ciel looked up from his papers. "Then let's go greet them."

.

.

.

Ciel stood in front of the steps at the entrance of the mansion when the carriage pulled up. His butler was already beside the carriage door, opening it for the awaited quests.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive manor." Sebastian raised his hand to offer assistance.

"Thank you." A delicate hand took Sebastian's gloved one.

Ciel's eye widened slightly at the voice. _A girl?_

The one who came out of the carriage was a very beautiful girl with strait maroon coloured hair and sapphire blue eyes. Ciel could tell she was taller than him, probably a couple inches taller than Elizabeth; she looked to be around sixteen years of age.

"Welcome." He greeted. "I'm Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the Master of this manor."

The girl smiled lightly. "My name is Alessandra Knight."

Ciel's visible eye widened for a second. _Knight_?

"But please call me Aless." She raised her hand in a shaking motion. "Like Alice only not spelt the same."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He took her hand and shook it lightly. "This is my butler, Sebastian." He nodded towards him.

She looked him up and down. "He seems like quite the catch."

Sebastian bowed. "Thank you for your flattery but I am simply one hell of a butler."

Ciel rolled his eyes. _He's still using that line?_

Alessandra turned back to the carriage. "Are you waiting for an invitation?"

Ciel looked over to see who she had spoken to; a young man exited the carriage. He was somewhat shocked to say the least. This man was as gorgeous as Sebastian. He had black wavy hair that just touched his shoulders and light silvery grey eyes that almost looked white.

"Forgive me but I did not wish to wake Leo from his nap." A black and white cat jumped out close behind him.

Ciel grimaced. _Oh for the love of god! _He glanced over at his butler, who had already been entranced by the cat's simple presence. He could already imagine the thing's going through that man's head. _"Oh, that beautiful coat and those soft tender paws!" _

Ciel was exactly right; he could see a twinkle forming in Sebastian's eyes. He ignored it and returned his attention to Alessandra.

"Pardon me saying this but I'm allergic to cats." He informed her.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. The thought never crossed me—but I guess it is rude of me to expect you to allow an animal to wander your home." She looked back at the cat that sat quietly beside her companion.

Ciel glanced at the cat. He found it strange how obedient it seemed. As if it was waiting patiently for an answer to the predicament.

"I don't mind it being in my home as long as it stays in your room." Ciel responded.

She smiled. "Thank you for your hospitality."

She then motioned to the dark haired man. "This is Shiloh, my bodyguard."

His eyes focused on the young Earl, giving him a modest smile. "I hope we will be of use to you, Master Ciel."

"I have a feeling you will." Ciel turned his body around slightly. "Please follow me. And don't worry about your luggage. Sebastian will take care of it."

He began to walk to the entrance of the manor with Alessandra close behind.

She halted for a second and turned around to face Sebastian.

"I don't doubt your abilities but please do be careful with the violin case...it's a family heirloom."

He bowed slightly. "It's safe with me my Lady."

She nodded slightly and continued to follow Ciel.

...

Shiloh stood there for a minute, watching the girl very closely. Sebastian glanced at the man and could see a strange glimmer in his eyes.

"Is something the matter? Mr. Shiloh..." he asked but didn't really care about the answer; he was only acting as expected of him.

He smiled. "There's no need for formalities, just Shiloh is fine."

He nodded a farewell and started walking to catch up to his _Master._ "Come on, Leo." The cat followed behind and jumped onto his shoulder.

Sebastian watched in awe. _Such enchanting grace and beautiful fur~, oh, how I'd love to massage those kitten-soft paws..._

He sighed and smoothed out his suit. _I've already wasted a good minute with my fantasizing—time to get to work._

_..._

_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._

...

"Your home is so beautiful." Alessandra's eyes looked around the room in awe. "It's been a long time since I've last been in a mansion as grand as this one."

"Thank you for your compliments." Ciel said politely.

He watched her as she continued to walk around, taking in the architecture. He couldn't help but wonder how this young woman was tied to the Queen—she seemed like any other girl. Well, minus the fact that she wore pants instead of a dress.

"You say that it has been a while since you have last entered a mansion." He began.

She looked at him curious. "Yes, it has been a while."

"Pardon me, but was I wrong to assume that you were related to Christopher Knight."

She blinked once. "No, you weren't wrong. He was my uncle on my father's side."

"Then you are of a noble family."

"I am."

"Then, do you not live in a mansion of your own?"

She scratched the back of her head in a manner that told Ciel she would rather not talk about it. "It's complicated." She replied.

Ciel held off on asking anymore questions about her family, she seemed unwilling to speak of her nobility and he didn't want to be seen as an antagonist. Though he knew that there was something peculiar about the unsteady tone she had.

He inwardly _sighed_. He would have Sebastian do a background check on her.

"Your manor is defiantly fit for a renowned Nobleman." Shiloh stated as he entered, with Leo rested on his shoulder.

"Yes, well, my family has worked very hard to make us where we are today." Ciel replied.

He glanced over, noticing movement to the left of his vision. The servants were standing at a distance observing curiously.

"These are the other servants" He waved for them to come greet the guests.

They scurried over and stood in a line beside their master.

He waved his hand introducing them. "This is Bardroy our chef, Finnian is the gardener, Maylene is our maid, and Tanaka is the house steward."

"Welcome to the Phantomhive manor." They said in harmony.

Alessandra nodded her head. "It's an honour to be here."

Ciel started in the direction of the stairwell. "If you follow me upstairs Sebastian should be waiting and he will show you to your rooms. Dinner will be served just after six, so you may settle down until then."

"So, we will be discussing the Phoenix cases tomorrow then?" Alessandra asked steadily.

"Yes, you must be exhausted from your trip and I want us to be completely refreshed before solving this case."

"Thank you. It probably would be better."

Sebastian stood at the top of the staircase. "If you follow me I will show you to your rooms."

Alessandra and Shiloh followed the butler and Ciel walked down a different hall. "Sebastian when you are finished I would like some tea in the study, I'm feeling rather parched."

"Yes, my Lord." He replied as he led the guests to their rooms.

...

"This is where you will rest during your stay here." He opened both of the bedroom doors. "Your rooms are across from each other and the study is just down this hall." He motioned.

Alessandra walked into her room, taking in everything her eyes could see. Shiloh walked in as well.

She glanced at him with a raised brow. "You know your room is across the hall."

His eyes quickly scanned the room. "I was just looking."

He turned and left going to his own room, glancing back at her before closing the door. "Call me if you need anything."

The door made a soft click and left an awkward silence between the butler and her. She glanced up into his wine coloured eyes; there was something about them that made her feel a little uneasy.

"I guess I'll go rest for a little...thank you for bringing up my luggage." She bowed slightly and closed the door.

Sebastian grinned slightly. _Bowing to a servant? She sure doesn't act like a noble._

.

.

.

Ciel sat on his bed getting ready for a much needed sleep as Sebastian buttoned up his night shirt.

He _sighed_. As much as he wanted to solve this case they did not speak a word about Phoenix during dinner. Though he didn't really mind not bringing it up, he needed a break from all of the stress. It was actually quite nice to have a simple conversation, talking about themselves, politics, new technology, and anything else that didn't involve the sad realities in life—torture, sadness, poverty, greed, death... the list could go on when it came to the worst circumstances.

"Is there something on the Young Master's mind?" Sebastian asked quietly.

Ciel glanced up, not realizing he had totally blanked out in thought.

"My mind was just wandering." He replied.

"Young Master seems to be doing that a lot these last couple of days."

Ciel continued to look into those eyes—eyes that seemed to look right through him, right into his soul.

"It's quite late Young Master, the moon is already very high." His long gloved fingers went to the boys eye patch and removed it gently.

Sebastian lifted the covers allowing his Master to scoot under. Once Ciel was snug in the middle he pulled the sheets up to his neck, leaving his head the only visible part.

Ciel observed every move his butler made. The man's grace was so enchanting and the way the candle light hit his face made his features even more breathe taking than usual—it seemed clichéd but he was defiantly 'too good to be human.'

"Good night Young Master." He bowed and made his way to the door.

"Good night Sebastian." The boy whispered.

He stood in the door way and looked back slightly surprised. Ciel blushed slightly and rolled over on his side, his back now to Sebastian.

He smiled and closed the door. He felt a little content with his Master's small comment, but the truth be told—he had no idea _why_.

...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

...

The moon was now at its highest peak, he never tired of watching the moon as it slowly changed positions in the sky—altering the picture and depth in the colour of the trees and shrubs.

"My Lord." A masculine voice spoke.

Shiloh looked to Leo who was curled up on a chair. "You've been staring outside for quite a while now."

"Is there something wrong with that?" He questioned.

"No, my Lord may do as he wishes. But you've looked distracted since we got here."

He looked at the cat disappointed. "Are you telling me you haven't noticed?"

Leo tilted his head. "Noticed what?"

He sighed. "And you call yourself my familiar, I'm not impressed."

The cat pouted and jumped off the chair. "You know I am not as capable of doing things when I am in this form."

He looked at Shiloh with a questioning look in his green eyes. "Is it ok?"

Shiloh glanced at the cat and then went back to gazing out the window. "As long as you aren't seen by anyone."

He gave a Cheshire smile, a shadow swiftly glided around him as he stood up on his hind legs. The overall transformation was quick and painless; the only thing that could be felt was a slight chill against his naked skin.

He guided his hands to his arms and caressed himself, he truly liked this form so much better. To look like a strong and beautiful human, one that would make those gaze in awe and others glare in envy.

The only issue he had with transforming was that he would always end up being naked; the only article of clothing was the green and white ribbon that was always tied around his neck.

He brushed his fingers through his pale white hair, enjoying this moment with content. It had been over a week since he was last in is human form—which was far too long for him to handle.

Shiloh continued to focus on the scenery outside. "Your clothes are in my suitcase."

Leo looked over at the suitcase and back to Shiloh. "I'll be changing back soon anyways." He walked over and sat across from him on the bench seat.

"Do you notice it now?" He asked.

"I do."

Shiloh looked down and caressed the locket around his neck. "I have a bad feeling that things are not going to turn out well."

"Are you sure that's not just her?"

"No, I feel it to. That there is more to this Phoenix than just going around and killing people...like he's waiting for something, and killing all these humans is just a way to pass the time."

Leo looked at him worried. "_Killing to pass the time_ you say...you're not just talking about your prior self, are you?"

He chuckled. "No. But it seems that way, doesn't it?"

He stood and walked over to the bed, lying down on his stomach. "Once you get to be as old as me there's far too much to recall. Many things aren't even worth remembering." He rolled over onto his back. "Slaughtering others is the only thing I can remember clearly because I've done so much of it—can't say I didn't enjoy it though, because I did." His voice sounded sad, almost regretful.

Leo looked at him. He always found it refreshing when his Lord would freely talk about himself and his past—even if the subject was not a great one.

"My Lord."

"Hmm?"

"Have you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"The change in you." He stated.

"Change in me?" He raised a brow.

Leo laughed quietly. "And you call yourself a Devil? _I'm not impressed_."

Shiloh glared at his familiar. "You're getting far too cheeky."

Leo smiled._ That young girl is changing you and you don't even know it._

_**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**_

**__****yaaayyyyy~ I'm so happy that I finished this ch! thank god.**

**_I hope you liked it, and I'm sry if that last bit was confusing in anyway- don't worry though cause it should make more sence later! :D_**

**_R&R~~~_**

**btw, I've drawn some character sketches of Leo, Alessandra, and Shiloh.! You can go to my profile- the links are there~ :D**


	8. Chapter 7: Not a Secret Anymore

**first off: really sorry for the long wait. I was just not in the mood in writing, plus I've been busy with other things :P  
anyways, I hope this ch. turned out ok...I don't really know. D: it's funny how you can have all of these ideas in your head but then it's really hard to put it on paper...**

**please R&R! btw, if you didn't already know there are some character sketches of the OCs. :D (just go to my profile)**

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

**Chapter 7: Not A Secret Anymore**

"Young Master, it's time to wake up." Sebastian pulled open the curtains making Ciel squint from the sudden brightness.

"Since we have quests today your morning tea will be served in the dining hall." He laid out the boy's clothes neatly on the bed. "For today's breakfast I have prepared eggs Benedict topped with imported Edam cheese. For the side dish there will be seasoned hash browns and a garden salad."

Ciel blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. A low groan escaped his throat as he sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He hadn't had a very good sleep and his shoulders and neck felt tender from his awkward sleeping position.

Sebastian observed his Young Master; he could see how stiff he was by his movements. "Young Master, did you not sleep well last night?"

"I was thinking a lot about the case and I didn't get much sleep." He never looked at his butler when he answered; he knew if that demon looked into his eyes he would know that he was lying.

It was not the case that continued to cause Ciel sleepless nights; it was his mind constantly thinking about Sebastian. All he could think of was, 'I wonder what Sebastian is doing,' 'what does he do during the night—does he sleep even though he needs not to, or does he pass the time in other ways.' All of these questions had kept him from his slumber.

"Would you like me to relieve your stiff shoulders?" Sebastian pulled out the chair from the small table.

Ciel looked at the chair and back to Sebastian. "I guess." He stood from the bed and sat down, his back now to his butler.

Sebastian's hands rested on the boy's shoulders for a moment before he began to knead the tender flesh.

*"You're very tight Young Master."He stated. His hands continued to massage Ciel's shoulders.

Ciel mumbled in agreement. Sebastian's hands were so skilful, every move he mad was precise and continued to hit the right spot.*

"Have you organized all of the evidence?" Ciel asked.

"Yes, everything is prepared in the study." His hands continued to work until the young boy was more-or-less renewed. "Do you feel any better, Young Master?"

"Much." Sebastian moved to face him once again and began to dress him swiftly. Once Ciel was dressed and presentable they made their way down to the dining hall.

.

.

"Good morning Ciel." Alessandra greeted.

"Good morning Aless... Shiloh." He nodded to the man who sat beside her.

Shiloh nodded in reply.

Ciel sat in his usual spot at the end of the long table, his butler pushing in the chair behind him.

As soon as everyone was settled Sebastian gracefully poured the tea and served the meals. "Today's tea is an English breakfast tea, better known as orange pekoe."

Alessandra gazed at the meal before her. "Everything looks and smells delicious, thank you Sebastian."

"You flatter me, Lady Aless." He bowed and returned to his post beside his master.

...

As soon as everyone was finished their meals Ciel got right down to business. "About this case, are you fully up to date with it?"

"Yes, but we only know what we read from the paper. Anything else, like the evidence, I don't know much about." Alessandra replied.

"Then you won't mind if we move this discussion to the study I presume." Ciel got up from his chair, the others followed suit.

_I have a feeling that this is going to be a long day._

.

.

Ciel rested over his desk exasperated. They had already spent at least two hours trying to come up with ideas and possible suspects to solve the case. But so far they weren't really getting anywhere.

Shiloh sighed with boredom and decided to break the silence that had formed. "So, we basically have nothing. No suspects and nothing related between the victims—the only similarity they share is that they were all killed the same way by the same person."

Alessandra looked at Shiloh annoyed, totally not amused. "Well, thanks Sherlock. Did it take you a while to come up with that?"

He smiled playfully. "No need to get snippy. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

"Well it's not funny—people are getting killed and the only ones who can stop this guy are us." Her brow knitted in concern.

Shiloh's finger moved to poke at the center of her brow. "You're going to get early wrinkles if you continue to furrow your brow like that."

She averted her eyes and relaxed her face.

He smiled at her reaction. "Don't worry so much. I swear to you that we will be able to catch this killer." His hand caressed the side of her face. "I don't lie to you."

Sebastian smirked at the scene. _"Don't lie" he says, that sounds all too familiar._

Ciel coughed lightly to regain their focus. "Since we don't seem to have any leads sitting around here, may I suggest that we go into the city and maybe try our luck out there? It is just past twelve now. That gives us a reasonable amount of time to search for further information."

"That sounds like a good idea." Alessandra agreed.

"Then it's settled. Sebastian, ready the carriage."

.

.

.

"It's been a while since I last visited this part of London; it's much gloomier than I remember." Alessandra stated.

"It's because of the rainy season." Ciel said. "It tends to bring out the worst of London's qualities."

They were making their way back to the carriage, taking one of the main streets. They had already finished examining the different crime scenes. Ciel knew that it had been pointless to revisit them, since Sebastian had already checked each one. But he was still hoping that maybe his new companions would have noticed something that they missed... but that was too good to be true.

Ciel sighed. His feet were getting sore from all of the walking, he never had great stamina.

"That's disgusting." Alessandra mumbled.

Ciel blinked out of his daze and looked ahead. Four men leaned against the outside wall of a Pub a few metres ahead of them. They were whistling and giving Alessandra this look that could only be called 'sexual harassment.' They continued to walk trying their best to ignore the ignorant men as they came closer.

"Hey girly, how about ditching these candy-ass noblemen and come play with us for a while?" A man around the age of twenty spoke. He was as plain as could be, brown hair, brown eyes—nothing special.

"I'll pass thanks." She tried to sound polite.

"Oh~ but I insist." He went to snatch her wrist but was halted by Shiloh's sudden grip around his arm. He looked up into those cold silver eyes.

"Get your fucking hand off me, _pretty boy_." He sneered.

"Touch her with your vile hand and I'll break it." He threatened.

Ciel looked at Shiloh with surprise. His usual easy going self had suddenly changed to serious and cold-blooded. Ciel could feel a strange chill that was slowly creeping up his spine. He could feel Sebastian's hand pull him further away from the intoxicated men. He allowed Sebastian to move him away from the commotion. He was about to make his way back to where Shiloh and the four men stood until he felt a hand grip his sleeve.

"Wait, Sebastian." He whispered. "Don't intervene and aid Shiloh unless I tell you to. I want to see how he handles this."

He looked at Ciel amused. "Yes my lord."

The brown haired guy smacked Shiloh's hand out of the way. "So you think you're a tough guy, huh?"

The three other men moved closer behind the brown haired one, their fists were ready for a fight. Shiloh only stood there silent, cool and composed.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He moved toward the direction of where Alessandra was. She was a couple metres away from Shiloh.

"Since it seems that the odds are against you, I'll let you go unharmed if you let me borrow the girl for a little while—at least until me and my buddies are satisfied." His voice felt like spiders crawling up Alessandra's skin.

"The only thing from me you'll be borrowing is my fist." She put as much venom into her words as she could.

All four men laughed at her comment. "Fine by me, I like them a little feisty."

He snatched her arm and as soon as he touched her his laughter changed to an agonizing scream.

Alessandra quickly moved away and placed herself behind Shiloh. The other men quickly went to the brown haired man panicking.

"Paul! Paul, what's wrong?" A bronze haired man asked.

"Ahh! M-My hand it's—ahh!" Paul wailed.

Ciel squinted at the man's hand; it was all disfigured like it had been crushed. It was obviously broken.

Shiloh sighed. "I warned you not to lay a hand on her, but you didn't listen."

"You bastard!" The three men went at Shiloh, one of them pulled out a knife, and the others had their fists clenched.

Ciel couldn't even tell what had occurred, everything happened so fast. One minute they were coming at Shiloh, the next they were all on the ground groaning in pain.

The silver eyed man turned around and took Alessandra's hand in his. He gave her a soft smile. "You're not hurt are you?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Then shall we be off?"

Paul looked up at Shiloh, whose back was turned. He was in immense pain as he reached for the object in his back pocket.

"You dare turn your back on me?" He yelled and aimed his gun at Shiloh, pulling the trigger.

There was a deafening _bang_ from the shot. People scattered around the street as they yelled and panicked, worried for their lives.

Shiloh's black hair swayed with the light breeze as he turned his head around to face the brown haired man. *"I think you missed."* He smirked darkly. "How pitiful, it seems you only had one bullet left."

Paul looked at him with wide eyes. Ciel could see that the man's expression wasn't out of shock but because he was terrified.

Looking at Shiloh now, he knew that there was more to him than what he had perceived him as. He had perceived him as being a human... but he was much more than that.

.

.

The ride back in the carriage was silent, except for the light drumming of the rain against the carriage. Ciel knew he should say something but he didn't know if it was the right time or place. But did it really matter? He would have to confront this new development sooner or later—so, what better time than the present?

He glanced at Sebastian who nodded, as if agreeing with him.

He cleared his throat. "Aless."

"Yes."

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" He asked softly.

She looked a bit on edge. "Why do you ask?"

"I haven't mentioned this before but I do believe these crimes were not committed by someone of normal circumstances."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is—."

"Aless, stop acting like you don't know what he's talking about." Shiloh interrupted. "And you," He looked at Ciel. "There's no need to be so evasive, just ask me straight out what it is you want to confirm."

Ciel stared him down with his one sapphire eye but didn't respond.

He chuckled. "The two of you are trying to hide your secret but the truth is we all know. Sebastian and I have known since we first came into contact...we just didn't admit it to each other."

"You talk as if you already know what I'm going to ask."

He leaned his face closer to Ciel's. "So why don't you ask?"

Ciel stared right into his silver eyes. "You're not human, are you?"

He leaned away from the young boy. "So, you finally noticed...I'm surprised that your butler didn't tell you beforehand."

He looked at Sebastian. "He tends to let me figure things out for myself, instead of giving me all the answers like you do for Aless."

Shiloh smirked at his comment.

"You know of Sebastian as well, I presume." He looked to Aless this time.

"I do." She murmured.

"I don't understand why you did it." He brought his attention back to Shiloh. "Why would you create a scene, proving to me that you are not of this world?"

"I gave away my cover so that there would no longer be any secrets between us." He looked out the window. "This will make us able to solve the case without worrying about the other finding out what we really are. Wouldn't you agree, Sebastian?"

Sebastian gave his trademark smirk in response.

_So. _Ciel thought._ He let me know what he really was so that he will be able to do things to his full potential. The same goes for Sebastian, he won't have to hold back now._

"I'm guessing we'll visit him tomorrow then?" Alessandra asked Shiloh.

Ciel looked at them confused. "Visit who?"

"A friend of mine, I'm sure he will be of very good assistance." Shiloh answered. "After all, he's 'not of this world', as you put it."

...

...

...

It was incredibly cold and wet by the early evening. The former drizzle had quickly turned into a torrential downpour leaving people scurrying inside or searching for a make shift shelter.

"This weather is quite miserable." A masculine voice whispered. He sat at a park side bench; his clothes had become completely soaked and his ruby coloured hair had turned to a shade of red wine.

"Stop with the, I'm-feeling-sorry-for-myself act and move to some shelter. It's pathetic if I should get a cold just because of your stupidity."

The man _sighed_. "Phoenix, can you not stay silent for at least five minutes and make me feel like myself again?" He shivered from the sudden gust of wind. "Being completely alone but having a voice pestering me makes me feel far from normal."

"I will if you would just move somewhere more practical—you look like a drowned rat."

He chuckled, but there was no humour in it. "You mean _we_ look like a drowned rat."

Phoenix was silent for a moment leaving the man with a moment of peace, giving him a chance to think.

"How did things turn out this way?" He mumbled.

"What was that?" Phoenix asked.

"Nothing."

There was silence between the two. The man stood from the bench seat and moved under the cover of a nearby tree, he leaned back against it feeling tired all of a sudden.

"You never told me how I'm still alive." He stated.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Who else could I be talking to?" He asked a little annoyed.

Phoenix sighed. "You were really lucky—."

"Bullshit." He interrupted. "There's no way I could have survived the fire. I was as good as dead the moment it started."

"It's true. You would be dead if you were a normal human—if it weren't for me you would be resting in peace with your beloved."

The man flinched when the word _beloved_ ended his sentence. He clutched onto the front of his jacket, right by his heart, it felt like someone had taken a knife and tore it open.

"Please don't mention her...it hurts." He pleaded.

Phoenix responded sadly. "Forgive me. It hurts me as well to think of her...and I think of her a lot—as much as you do."

"That's because you _are_ me." His voice was beginning to grow more quite. "But how can you be? You are so cruel and heartless. You feel no remorse or pity for others, all you feel is your own selfish desire. I never had those feelings in my former life."

"But you did, you just didn't recognize them as such."

The man began to slide down the tree until he was sitting down, his knees bent. His breathing was growing heavier as he started to lose consciousness. "P-Phoenix."

"What is it?"

"Don't...don't do anything I'll regret..." His eyes began to close and his body became limp. He had lost the battle for dominance.

Phoenix stood from the previous sitting position. He felt completely alone, the young man's voice had disappeared along with his presence, leaving Phoenix with his capable body.

"Don't do anything you'll regret, huh?" He smiled. "I'm sorry. But I can't guarantee you won't regret anything. For it has been _so_ long since I last killed anyone."

He began to walk in the direction of the bustling city; he couldn't wait to find his next helpless victim. He could already feel a scorching fire burning inside him that was just aching to be released.

"I think it's time to turn up the heat in here—wouldn't you agree, Loren?"

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ****... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

**so~ I think that some of this ch. (especially in the begining/middle) jumps around from one thing to another a bit to much... but seriously- who wants to read a description about them eating breakfeast XD**

**anyways, please review! it keeps me motivated!  
There will also be a new OC in the next chapter (I think I'm getting a little too carried away with the OCs- but I need them to make the story :P)**

*"You're very tight Young Master." Sebastian's hands were so skilful, every move he mad was precise and continued to hit the right spot.  
lol, I'm sorry but I totally get the wrong impression from that line XD

*"I think you missed."*  
btw, he didn't miss! Shiloh pulled a Sebastion and caught the bullet with his hand. ;)


	9. Chapter 8: My Demon, Your Human

**hey everyone~ this ch is not as long as the usual ones, but there's reasons for that :) sry for any spelling or grammer!  
anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it! this ch is all about Ciel and Sebastian! yay~ **

**pleaze R&R!**

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

**Chapter 8: My Demon, Your Human**

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Ciel sat on his bed of the master bedroom, waiting for a much needed sleep. He was dressed in his white night shirt, his head rested on his entwined hands as he gazed at nothing in particular. His bluish grey hair was tousled and damp from his bath. But he didn't really care; his mind was focused on other things.

He blinked out of his train of thought when he felt the softness of a towel drape over his head like a veil. He looked up at Sebastian who began to further dry his hair.

"Is the Young Master all right?" Sebastian asked softly.

"I'm fine." He responded.

Sebastian continued to dry the boy's hair; he stopped when he felt Ciel's hand rest over his. He removed the towel and hung it over the nearby chair, but continued to allow his hand to be caressed by his master.

"Sebastian, what is Shiloh exactly? Is he a demon like you?"

He began to kneel down, not wanting Ciel to strain his neck from looking up at him.

"Sit on the bed." Ciel said firmly but kept his eyes averted. His butler followed his order and sat beside him, their shoulders mere inches apart.

"He is very much like me."

"So he is a demon then."

"Close, he is actually a devil."

He raised a delicate brow. "I thought demons and devils were the same thing?"

"They mostly are. We have the same physical capabilities. The only real difference is that devils are of higher rank than demons."

"How do you determine their rank?"

Sebastian smirked. "Young Master sure has a lot of questions."

Ciel blushed lightly and looked away, trying to hide his face. He couldn't help himself; he wanted to learn more about demons—he wanted to know more about Sebastian…

"Our rank is determined by how old we are and whether we have the strength or not to restrain ourselves."

Ciel looked back at him confused. _What does he mean by restrain?_

"When I say restrain, I mean restraining ourselves from going on a feeding frenzy. Many of the younger demon's do nothing but." He responded as if reading the boy's mind.

Ciel felt cold all of a sudden. _He means feeding off of souls…_

"Sebastian, are there others who share the same contract as we do." He asked almost timidly.

"Yes, but Shiloh and Lady Aless share a different relationship than we do."

Ciel looked up into those wine colored eyes. _A 'different relationship' he says, don't tell me the difference between them and us is love… _His brow knitted together. _Why the hell does my chest hurt just thinking about it? Why do I have this fear of hearing it from him? I already know that there is no way this demon would love me—but if he says it, I think my heart might shatter._

"Young Master."

"Huh?" He blinked a couple of times.

He laughed lightly. "You've been dazing frequently lately." He looked down at his hand which was still being held by Ciel's.

"I said the difference between our contracts is that you and I share a master servant relationship, I must always obey your order unless it endangers your life. With Shiloh and Aless's contract he is not required to do as she says; he can freely do as he wishes."

"Does that mean our contract is stronger than theirs is?"

"Not necessarily, only the terms are different." He explained.

Ciel nodded and stayed quiet for a minute, thinking about the new knowledge he had learned. Everything Sebastian had told him seemed logical, there was only one thing that made him bewildered. Why did someone like Aless have a contract with a high ranked devil?

"Are you ready for bed, Young Master? It's getting quite late."

"Not yet." He let go of Sebastian's hand and brushed away the stray hairs that had fallen in front of his vision.

"If Shiloh doesn't eat human souls, then what does he gain by forming a contract?"

"I don't know the details but I am assuming that Shiloh is a Collector, so he still gains something."

Ciel looked at him quizzically. "I don't want to admit it. But you lost me."

Sebastian chuckled. "He collects souls as an interest. The locket he wears around his neck is specially made with the bones of an angel, which allows him to store the souls he has accumulated."

His eyes narrowed a bit. "That's seems somewhat _queer_, don't you think?"

He raised a brow. "I feed on souls and he collects them but you're calling him the queer one?"

"I only call it queer because it seems more natural for demons to feast on souls than to be innocently collecting them like a hobby." He didn't look at him when he answered.

They sat there in silence for a moment. Sebastian continued to observe his master, whose eyes were down cast.

In all honesty Sebastian was puzzled, and he had been quite puzzled since the last few days. Ciel had been acting strangely lately, his mind was constantly wandering and he seemed almost flustered whenever they were alone together—which was very unlike him.

"Young Master." He said quietly, breaking the silence.

"What is it?"

He caressed Ciel's cheek and inclined his face towards his to better see his eyes. He could feel the heat of the boy's skin through his gloved hand.

"If there is something troubling you, you can tell me anything. I am here to serve you in any way necessary."

He continued to stare into those soulful blue eyes. Even with everything he had been through his eyes still looked like that of an innocent child, others may not have been capable to see it but he could.

"There's nothing troubling me, it's just this case…"

"There's no point in lying to me Young Master. I can tell that there has been something else occupying your mind."

Sebastian was waiting for the usual glare from the Lord for his disagreeable manner, but it never came. Ciel simply pushed away from him and walked in the direction of the window. He looked out at the moon, which had somehow managed to show itself through a small break in the clouds.

He stood there for a minute. He was flipping things around in his head, trying to come up with something to say since he had no idea how to respond to Sebastian's concern for him.

After a few minutes had passed he returned to sitting beside Sebastian, making the distance between them a little wider than before. He still didn't know how to reply to Sebastian knowing that he was bothered by something other than the case, so he decided to continue the discussion of demons and souls.

"Sebastian, did you ever have a former master?" He tried to sound casual.

He looked at the boy with a light concern; he knew he was trying to steer away from the previous subject. "No, you're the first. I used to feed off of any soul if I was hungry, no matter how insipid it was. But I assume I finally realized that quality is much more appealing than quantity."

Ciel swallowed the saliva that was building up in his mouth, making a quite gulping sound. "So…you must be starving then." He said more to himself.

"Does that frighten you?" His eyes shimmered.

"No." He answered quick and honestly. How could he be frightened of the one he loved, demon or not he was still his Sebastian.

Ciel's heart sped up an extra beat at the recollection that he loved Sebastian, he loved him so very much—he had never felt this way about anyone before. Just the thought of the man sitting beside him, the two of them together—alone, gave him a warm and content feeling in his heart.

_I want to tell him…I want to tell him how I feel. _But he couldn't, he was scared of the answer he would receive. Would he completely reject him? Tell him that he was a queer for loving a man or that his feelings were delusional and it was nothing but a childish wanting.

He was focusing so much on the negative possibilities that he had not realized his facial expression was giving away the inner turmoil he was going through.

Sebastian could see the distress in his eyes and covered Ciel's hand with his, which was clenching the blanket tightly. His hand loosened slightly from his touch and his expression softened.

"I know it is not my place to have you tell me what is bothering you, but if you talk about it I am sure you will feel more at ease." He said softly, bringing his other hand around to rest on the boy's shoulder to shift him closer.

"Young Master." He whispered in his ear and nuzzled his nose into the silky hair, taking in the gentle scent.

Ciel shivered slightly, Sebastian's voice resonated from the nape of his neck up to his ear, making it feel like a chill. He couldn't believe how close he was to him; Sebastian never made such an affectionate gesture, it was very out of character.

"S-Sebastian. What are you…?"

The older man's hand slowly slid from his shoulder to his neck. He gently caressed it and angled his head lower, tracing his nose along the boy's jaw.

Ciel was gasping lightly; his mind was starting to become cloudy from the intoxicating scent that drifted off of his butler. He had no idea that a sinister creature like a demon could smell so sweet and delicious. His heart was beating as fast as a small bird's, the bliss he felt was immense as Sebastian continued to embrace him—he just couldn't contain himself as he gave a relieved smile.

Sebastian continued to embrace his master; his hands slowly moved against the ruffled night shirt and flushed skin. He bent himself down further, his lips lightly traced Ciel's neck and collarbone. He was completely entranced by the subtle intimacy; the only thing that occupied his mind was Ciel. He could hear the boy's small gasps and lightly grazed his teeth against the soft skin to achieve a different reaction.

Ciel inhaled sharply, letting out a soft moan that could barely be herd. He gripped the butler's sleeves and whispered huskily, letting the name role over his tongue. "Sebastian."

Suddenly, without warning, Sebastian pulled away. His eyes were slightly wide like he had just seen something he never thought was possible.

"Sebastian?" Ciel sounded worried.

Sebastian stood from the bed and straightened out his suit, his face returning to his usual smile. "Forgive me Young Master. I only wished to comfort you but it seems that things got a little out of hand—you should really get to bed."

He quickly opened the covers and helped the boy position himself comfortably in the center of the bed. He pulled the duvet up to his neck and grabbed the candelabra, making his way to the door to exit the room.

"Good night, Young Master." He said almost abruptly and left. Leaving Ciel completely dumbfounded.

_What the hell just happened?_

.

.

.

Sebastian stood just outside of Ciel's room with his back to the door; his eyes were fixated on his hand which held the candelabra.

_What the hell was I doing?_ He asked himself.

He had never lost control like that before, to totally lose sight of what he was originally trying to achieve, which had originally been the effort in comforting his Lord. Instead he ended up assaulting his master in such a way—how could he call himself a butler of Phantomhive if he couldn't find the decency in restraining himself from teasing the boy in such a perverse manner?

Sebastian continued to scold himself until something else crept from his memory. Why had the Young Master allowed for such a thing to occur? If he were being his usual pride-felt self he would have pushed Sebastian away the minute he tried to embrace him.

Sebastian carried on with pondering the thought but nothing came to mind to why Ciel's actions had suggested that he was willing to continue to go further with him… perhaps he was just at that _"_age."

He began to walk down the hallway back to the servants' courters. _Why would I even do something like that to the Young Master in the first place? It doesn't make any sense—._

He abruptly stopped in his tracks. *_Oh my Lucifer.*_

His pupils dilated for a second as he realized what had come over him—why he had wanted his master, and why he still craved him. Not just Ciel's soul but Ciel himself.

His expression quickly changed to his trademark smirk. _I love him… I love Ciel._ He snorted. _How pathetic I've become, getting so attached to a fragile human._

He huffed out a short laugh and shook his head. _There's no time for such things, I must prepare for the morning._

He ignored his feelings for now and got back to work in being the professional butler that he was expected to be. But in all honesty, he simply didn't want to admit it—admit that it wasn't just the boy's soul that he wanted. Everyone knew that it's not a demon's habit to live for the sake of someone else. But right now it seemed like none of that mattered because he had purely fallen in love with him.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ****. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ****. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ****. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

**I hope u all liked it...i think it might have been a little boring, but you can't make everything perfect :P and sorry if they were OOC in anyway!**

*_Oh my Lucifer_*: like how we all say "oh my god." XD but this is Sebastian's version ;)

********

preview for next ch:  
Ciel and Sebastian are going to meet Leo in person,  
lol, get it? in "person", they already met him when he was a cat but now they get to meet him as a human/person...lol, sry, totally lame and not funny, XD- I'm just really tired D:


	10. Chapter 9: No Memory

**here's chapter 9 everyone! :D  
I just wanted to say "THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!" Thank you all of you awesome readers/kuroshitsuji fans! for all of your reviews, alerts, and favorites! I never thought my fanfic would get this much interest~ XD**

anyways~ enjoy!

...

**Chapter 9: No Memory**

...

Ciel's eyes fluttered open from the sound of his bedroom door being opened, Sebastian walked in and greeted him in his usual manner and pulled open the curtains.

He blinked hard, attempting to get rid of the grogginess. His eyes shifted to look at the older man closely, trying to see if there was anything different about him—but there was not one thing out of place; Sebastian seemed like his usual self. Which made Ciel feel a little self conscious, since the night before was still lingering in his thoughts.

He sat up and pushed off the covers, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Ciel _sighed_, he wanted to ask Sebastian of what had happened between them last night, but it didn't seem like the right time to bring it up.

Ciel glanced at the end the bed where he saw a silver cart with morning tea and breakfast.

"Are we not having breakfast downstairs?"

"No, the guests rose early this morning." He explained.

"I see. I'm guessing they're ready to leave then?"

"Yes. They wish to leave as soon as you are ready, Young Master." Sebastian turned away and began to poor the tea.

Ciel always loved having his morning tea and watching Sebastian poor it so precisely, he was simply perfect at everything he did.

Ciel breathed in the gentle scent. "This aroma... Ceylon tea, hm?"

"Yes sir, from Royal Doulton."

Sebastian handed Ciel the cup and he reached out to take it. He could feel their hands brush together very slightly, which made him avert his eyes and take a quick sip.

He closed his eyes trying to calm his heart as it fluttered like a small bird's wings. _Sighing_, he laid down the cup. _This is going to be a _very_ long day._

.

.

.

As soon as Ciel was dressed he made his way down to the manor's main entrance, with Sebastian close behind him.

"Sebastian, you did a back ground check on Alessandra, correct? What did you find out?"

"Alessandra Knight, now head of the Knight family due to the deaths of her parents as well as her uncle. The Knight family runs a company known as First Knight. It is involved with hospitals, medical care, pharmacies, and various morgues."

"Morgues? I'm guessing the Undertaker would know of them then." He stated. "What else?"

"Her mother died when she was merely an infant and her father—."

"Ciel, you ready to go?" Alessandra appeared before the stairs. "There is someone here that you haven't properly met."

_I guess the rest will have to wait._

"Who do you mean?" He walked towards Alessandra and glanced over at the main entrance.

Shiloh stood there waiting patiently, but he was not alone. There beside him stood a young man with pure white hair and jade green eyes. He was slightly shorter than Shiloh, but not by much.

Ciel made his way down the stairs and stopped a couple of metres away from the two men. "And who is this?" He questioned.

"You met him before, master Ciel." Shiloh informed.

Ciel looked at the young man and blinked a couple of times, trying to see if he recognized him in any way. He looked the man up and down until his eyes rested on something that looked strangely familiar, a green and white ribbon around his neck. He could almost hear the click in his mind when he realized who it was.

"Leo?"

Leo bowed his head. "At your service, I apologize for not meeting you in _person_ before."

Ciel looked a little surprised. "Wait, so you're a demon to?"

"Yes, I'm a Familiar. You can say that I play a role as Shiloh's attendant."

"I see."

Ciel still couldn't entirely grasp everything that was happening; all of these things were piling up on his plate too fast. First this murder case, then the other dog arrives—who happens to be a girl barely older than him with two demons at her side, and not to mention the constant issue in trying to find Phoenix.

But out of all the things that should be at the forefront of his mind there was only one thing he could think of. Sebastian. Ever since the butler's strange behaviour last night, it was the only thing he could focus on without getting a head ache.

"So, you said last night that there is someone you wish to meet?" Ciel confirmed.

"Yes, I believe he will be able to help us. But we have to leave as early as possible, since he's usually out during the night." Shiloh responded.

"Very well, we will leave this instant. Sebastian, ready the carriage."

He bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

.

.

.

"Since when has he been staying at a... a _brothel_?" Alessandra whispered.

Shiloh grinned at Alessandra's obvious discomfort. "Since it's cheap to rent a room here if you have no where to stay, and you know how _economical_ he is."

Leo snickered. "So _that's_ why you wanted us to be here during early afternoon—so that we wouldn't have to worry about hearing the beds creak and the women—."

"That's quite enough." Shiloh interrupted glaring.

"What?" He asked clueless.

Shiloh's eyes looked in the direction of Alessandra and Ciel then shot back to Leo's.

Leo's eyes widened for a second. "_Oh_~." Sorry. He mouthed.

Sebastian smirked. The entire situation was quite amusing—though he thought it would be even _more_ amusing if they had come during the night instead of the day. He could easily imagine a light blush coat Ciel's cheeks from the embarrassment of hearing the primal sounds escaping the throats of the mingling humans.

He would love to see his master make such an expression. His eyes widened for a split second. _Love? _He scolded himself. _I can't have such thoughts and feeling towards a human—let alone my Young Master.  
_He had already made the decision to push any thought of love behind. Unless Ciel somehow felt the same towards him, which was highly unlikely, he would not force his feeling on the boy nor speak of such a thing towards his human master was unprofessional in a butler's point of view and ludicrous in a demon's.

"Now, we just need to keep the attention on ourselves to a minimum." He removed his black coat and placed it over Alessandra's head.

Sebastian did the same and laid it over Ciel. They walked in one by one through the narrow door way.

Ciel squinted a bit, his sight slowly adjusting to the dimness of the room. He glanced around at the strange environment, there were a few women scattered around chatting and staring at the obvious eye-candy.

One woman walked over and moved in front of Sebastian's path. She had her skirt hiked up exposing her legs and the straps of her dress dangled from her shoulders, revealing some very deep cleavage.

"It's only twelve a clock honey, I guess you're an _early riser_?"* She raked a finger nail down his chest.

Ciel's brow knit together. He had a bitter taste in his mouth and a sudden rise in anger. His fists were clenched as he restrained himself from blurting out his thoughts—to tell that _bitch_ to get her vile hands off his Sebastian.

Sebastian faked a smile. "I'm sorry Madam, but I have some other business I need to attend to." He rested his hand against Ciel's back and continued to follow the others.

The subtle contact with Sebastian seemed to bring him at ease and he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

As they walked up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall they stopped at the third door to the right.

Shiloh lightly knocked on the door. There was no response at first, making Shiloh try a second time—but the door swung open before he had the chance. The man standing in the door way looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had long black hair that was tied back with a teal ribbon and green eyes that Ciel thought looked very familiar. His glasses were placed on top of his head, which indicated that he could probably see without them. What he wore seemed very peculiar to Ciel, but he could tell that it was a type of Japanese kimono, which was a pale teal in colour.

Shiloh nodded. "Kyou."

"It's been a while." The man smiled. "Come in."

Ciel followed inside the small apartment. There was a small bed with a night stand and a table with some chairs, along with a door to the right which led to the bathroom. Among everything there were piles of identical books that took up any available surface.

"Sorry that it's so cluttered in here. You may have a seat wherever you wish."

Sebastian pulled out a chair beside the small table allowing his master to take a seat, Alessandra followed suite and Leo sat on the bed.

"Kyou, this is Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his butler Sebastian. Master Ciel, this is Kyou." He introduced them to each other. They nodded to one another in acknowledgment.

Kyou removed his glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose. "So, what exactly do you want? I doubt you came all this way just to visit me."

"We don't have a lot of time, so I'm just going to give it to you strait. We need the Cinematic Records of the men who were killed by Phoenix."

_Cinimatic Records?_ Ciel looked at Kyou, studying him. _So that's why his eyes looked so familiar, he's a Death God like those two I met in the past.*_

He sighed. "You know I can't do that. It's bad enough that I've befriended a Devil—I'll be shunned and probably suspended if I even dream of giving you the Records."

"You don't have to give them to us. We just want to see them."

"Seeing them will not make a difference."

"And why is that?" Leo argued.

Kyou sighed and pushed up his glasses. "Because they have no memories of Phoenix."

"How could they not have any memory of him?" Ciel asked.

"When I looked at their records everything was crystal clear until I got near the end. It's like the memory of Phoenix has been burned along with their bodies."

"So, now what?" Leo tapped on the bed post.

No one answered. It seemed like they were running out of ways to catch this killer. Soon the only way to find him would be to track him down like dogs, but how could they? They had no idea who or even what he looked like.

Ciel was beginning to think that they should have kept calling Phoenix "the Phantom" instead... because he sure seemed like one.

He glanced around to look at everyone and paused on Kyou. His brow was furrowed in thought. He looked to Shiloh and made a peculiar expression that was unreadable. It looked like he was trying to tell him something with his eyes.

Shiloh obviously saw something and nodded. "Leo, would you please take Aless and leave the room. Why not stop at that book store we passed earlier." It was not a question but an order.

"Yes sir." He replied but the confusion was plain on his face.

Alessandra looked at Shiloh concerned. "Why do I have to leave?"

She stood up as Shiloh walked over to her. He brought his hand up to her and rested it against her cheek. "I'll tell you later. I promise."

She stared into his eyes for a moment before responding. "Okay."

He smiled warmly and whispered. "That's my girl."

She blushed slightly and left with Leo. There was a quite click when the door closed.

Ciel looked at Shiloh a little surprised. He never thought that he could make such an expression.

"So," Shiloh began. "What do you have to tell us?"

"I should have told you this sooner, but I didn't think much of it at the time." He scolded himself.

"Told me about what?"

His green eyes looked into Shiloh's silver ones. "About _Loren_."

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**lol, how was that? I left a cliff hanger- sry about that XD**

**ok, I hope you guys got the double meaning in that one line:**

**_"It's only twelve a clock honey, I guess you're an early riser."*_**

_I asked my friend to see if she got it- she didn't at first but then she understood afterwards :P  
so~ if u didn't understand...when she said "early riser" she meant...(ah, how do i word this but still keep it rated T?), get turned on quickly/easily...cause really, who would go to a brothel in the afternoon- it's lunch time for gods sake!_

**other line_*: So that's why his eyes looked so familiar, he's a Death God like those two I met in the past.*_**

_he's talking about William and Grell_

**BTW, there is a character sketch of KYOU! just go to my profile and the link is there :D**


	11. Chapter 10: Dead But Alive

**So~ here's ch.10! **

**ok, I'm gonna warn you now that in this chapter there is a lot of dialogue and info all at once—but don't worry, the next chapter is definitely going to have a nice Sebastian x Ciel moment. :D**

**well, anyways. Enjoy! PLEAZE R&R! \( ^_^)/**

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**Chapter 10: Dead But Alive**

Ciel looked back and forth between the two men. Kyou looked concerned and Shiloh simply looked puzzled. There was obviously something important and concerning about this Loren character.

"Loren who?" Ciel asked.

Shiloh sighed and looked away from Kyou. "Loren Knight, Alessandra's father."

"He's dead isn't he?"

"Yes, he is dead—."

"He should be." Kyou cut in. His expression almost looked grieving.

Sebastian studied the situation and the weight of the heavy atmosphere. "Why do you say it like that?"

"It's because his Cinematic Record has been missing from our documents for years now. I didn't think much of it at the time—I thought that it had simply been misplaced, since it is very easy to lose track of everything. But then I also thought of the possibility that someone stole it or..." He trailed off.

"You think he's alive." Sebastian finished.

"It's highly impossible, but yes, that thought did cross my mind."

Ciel sat there taking in the conversation. "You know for certain that he died?"

Shiloh answered. "I know completely. He died in a fire at his manor; there was nothing left of him but bones and ash."

Ciel's visible eye narrowed with suspicion. "So why did you not save him—you are under contract with Aless or did she just let her father die?"

"Aless would never let anyone die if it were possible to save them. And as you probably know, I am not under her influence. I need not follow a command unless I am willing."

"So you let him die, even when she begged for you to save him?"

Shiloh chuckled. "I believe you are twisting the story around. May I tell you the truth behind the Knight family and this occurrence?"

Ciel stared into those silver eyes. "Very well."

Shiloh took a seat on the bed. "First off, when it comes to my contract with Aless the only thing I am required to do is to keep her alive. Everything I do is for her sake; I could care less about anyone else."

"Is that not what every contract is like?"

Shiloh glanced at him smirking. "Yes, but would you let me finish?"

Ciel leaned back into the chair and kept silent. He just wanted to know what all of this talk of Loren was about and why he was such a huge concern when he was already dead.

"I let her father die because it was in her best interest. You see, it was Loren's younger brother Christopher who started the fire."

Ciel's eye widened. _His brother killed him?_

"He murdered him because he wanted to be the head of the First Knight Company. Loren knew this, that Christopher would eventually destroy his existence along with Alessandra's for his own selfishness." He sighed. "But Loren was never the type to hurt people for his own gain, everything he did benefited not only himself but the people around him. Though his brother possessed contempt towards him he still saw him as his brother, even if they weren't related by blood. He just didn't have the heart to send him to jail or cut off their ties."

Sebastian smirked. It was completely pathetic and so very human—to be caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to decide the better path without hurting yourself or another. Though there was no better path in this regard, it was a double edged sword and either way he was going to get cut.

"I don't mean to interrupt again, but you said that they're not related..." Ciel said cautiously.

"Loren was the former Earl's adopted son." Sebastian answered. Most of what Shiloh was saying he already knew. He did the research after all.

He continued to inform his master. "Laurence, Loren's father, had found him completely abandoned. Being the way he was he brought him in and raised him as his own. The reason why Loren is the family head and not the original son is because Laurence and his wife had a divorce when the brothers were around the age of ten. Loren stayed with his father and Christopher with his mother."

"I guess that explains a lot." Ciel stated. "Pardon my rudeness, I interrupted again."

"It's fine." Shiloh nodded and continued. "So, Loren chose death and his daughter's safety above all else. Because the First Knight Company has ties with various morgues he was able to make a deal with one of the Undertaker's and fake Alessandra's death by using another child's corpse as a substitute."

"Loren seemed to know of his brother's motives for quite a long time." Ciel stated.

"He did, he had quite the talent when it came to judging ones character. He actually spoke to me prior to his death about what was going to happen and that he put his trust in me to protect his daughter."

"But if he cared about Aless so much then why did he not get rid of Christopher—so that he wouldn't have to sacrifice himself over something so absurd?" Ciel couldn't get his head around why Loren would die so easily and hand the family Company on a plate to the man trying to kill him.

"Well, he's always found little hope in living ever since his beloved Rose died." Shiloh's eyes glimmered. "He had a very strong attachment to her and once she past he was nothing but an empty shell, though he would always do his best to put on an act for Alessandra's sake. Even then nothing seemed to spark any emotion in him anymore. He wanted to die, but not by his own hands. I myself took care of Aless most of the time because he didn't want her to see the worst side of him."

Ciel's one eye widened. "Hold on a second. You've known her since she was only a child—so who made the contract between the two of you?"

Shiloh smiled. "You got me there, but I have no interest in telling you. After all, this game would get boring if you knew all the answers."

Ciel smirked at that. It was refreshing when he found someone who also liked a challenging game, and not the usual board game but a real life situation with ups and downs. It seemed like all demons had that trait—a thirst for games.

"Well," Ciel began. "Now that I know a lot more about Loren Knight, why does his cinematic record concern you so much?" He asked Kyou.

"It concerns me because a human's record doesn't just disappear. We have tight security and many other Death Gods that organize and keep track of things..." His eyes shifted away. "My only explanations are that Loren was either not dead from the start, has reincarnated or been resurrected—either way, he's somehow alive."

As Ciel listened to Kyou the only word that popped into his mind was—'_absurd.'_ How could this man be alive? There was just no way.

He couldn't accept it, he had always told himself, ever since his parents' death that _'once something is lost, you can never get it back.' _And here they were trying to figure out how Loren had come back from the dead!

Ciel flinched, startled at the sudden feel of a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see Sebastian looking at him fondly as he calmed down his light trembling, he had no idea that he was shaking lightly.

Sebastian looked away from the boy and back to Kyou. "What is it that you really want to tell us? There's a reason why you brought up this man called Loren."

Kyou looked up into Sebastian's scarlet eyes. He always got that strange feeling in his stomach whenever he came into close contact with a demon and since he didn't know Sebastian it made him feel ten times worse.

"I brought him up because I think he's been involved with Phoenix."

.

.

.

"What could they possibly be talking about? It must be pretty bad if Shiloh sent me off." Alessandra muttered to Leo.

"I honestly don't know." He looked past the books through the shelving, meeting her eyes. "But I know whatever Shiloh is doing it is in your best interest. My Lord always thinks of what is best for you."

Alessandra sighed and pulled out a random book. She read the cover and snorted. _'Lie To Me'...how ironic._

"Leo, you say that everything he does is for my sake—but that's coming from you, it never comes from him. How do I know he actually means it if he doesn't tell me?"

Leo smiled. "Al, I've known my Lord for centuries and he has always thought that actions speak louder than words. You can take back an insult and say you were joking but if you punch someone in the face you can't really take that back, can you?"

Alessandra nibbled on her lower lip. "Well, you can always let them punch you back." She countered.

"You would seriously let someone punch you back? That sounds nothing like you. If you gave that person the chance you would defiantly give it back to them ten-fold." He was grinning hugely, he knew he was right.

"Okay, fine. But let me remind you that I'm a girl and girls like to confirm things and be reminded with words—not actions."

Leo smirked to himself and mumbled. "You say that but I'm positive that you would like his _actions_ along with his words."

"Did you say something?"

"No nothing at all."

Her eyes narrowed. He had obviously said something but she had no clue what it was.

She walked around the book shelves and made her way to the back corner of the bookstore, where she found the fictional 'Gothic Literature' section with stories about angels, demons, vampires, fairies, basically anything supernatural. She grazed her fingers against the bindings, stopping at a title that caught her interest.

"I've been meaning to read this." She said to Leo as he made his way over to her.

She pulled out the small book and let him read the title. "_The Vampyre_? It's a pretty short story though isn't it?"

"It is, but I don't exactly have the time to read Shakespeare."

She took the book with her and went towards the front counter where a middle age man stood behind the counter. She handed the store clerk the book along with the exact change.

"Will that be all for you today, miss?"

"Yes, thank you."

When she was done she followed after Leo who was waiting outside, a blank expression on his face. She looked up into his jade green eyes.

"Leo, what's the matter?"

He never answered. She looked at him concerned and followed his eyes to see what he was staring at.

There across the street and a couple of blocks down was a large crowd of people, along with what looked to be Scotland Yard. Her eyes widened when she thought of the possibilities of what it could be.

"Don't tell me." She whispered frantically and ran off towards the crowd.

Leo blinked out of his daze, as Alessandra left his side. "Al, wait!"

She ran up and snaked her way through the crowd to get another look. Everyone was mumbling frantically, there were also gasps and quite whimpers that could be heard. She pushed through the crowd until she came to the front.

"Excuse me." She got the attention of one of the officers. "What has happened here?"

"This isn't a place for children." He simply said.

Alessandra narrowed her eyes annoyed. "Look here, sir." She pulled out a white letter with the Queen's emblem completely visible on the red wax. "I am Alessandra Knight and I have recognition from the Queen, so inform me of the situation or I will have you removed from your position as assisting officer." Her voice resonated with superiority.

His eyes widened and he immediately apologized. "Forgive me Miss Knight. There has been another Phoenix victim. We just found him a moment ago when the residence were saying that he never opened shop."

Her eyes slightly widened. "Thank you." She left the scene fighting her way through the crowd once again. She needed to go tell the others. She made a quick run and—.

_Bang_...

She ran right into someone and lost her balance, she would have fallen flat on her face but a hand wrapped around her arm stopping her.

"That hurt." She mumbled quietly.

"Are you all right?" A silky voice asked.

She looked up into a dazzling pair of sapphire blue eyes. He had ruby coloured hair that framed his face and a newsboy cap placed on top of his head.

"I'm fine thank you." She said as the man steadied her.

"You should be more careful. You're lucky that you bumped into me and not someone else, they probably wouldn't have handled it the same." He smiled.

"I'm very sorry." She bowed.

"It's fine." He paused for a moment. "You should be more worried about other things." He said quietly.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, his words almost sounded like a threat.

"What I mean is." He recovered. "That you seemed to be in an awful rush and you wouldn't want to waste too much time apologizing to me when there is something else you appear to be worried about." He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, I see. Well, I apologize again." She waved and ran off.

The man stood there and opened his eyes. The gentle blue had been replaced by crimson red. He pulled down the front of his hat to cover his eyes.

_Oh, my little kitten. You have no idea how worried you should be._

.

.

.

Alessandra continued to run in long strides, hurrying as fast as she could to tell the others of the new development.

She glanced to her left seeing something white in her vision. It was Leo's hair.

"Don't go running off by yourself again. If anything were to happen to you Shiloh would have my head."

"I'm very sorry." She panted. "How did you catch up to me so fast? I never saw you behind me when I left."

He made a sound that sounded like a growl. "You can give me some credit—I'm a demon to you know."

"Sorry, I tend to forget."

He rolled his eyes. "That just makes me feel so much better." He said sarcastically.

.

.

.

Ciel looked at Kyou confused; even Shiloh looked caught off guard. "Why would Loren be involved with Phoenix? From his description he doesn't seem like the type who would help in a list of murders."

"He could possibly be being forced into it as well." Kyou countered. "But this is all just a premonition I had."

Sebastian turned to look at the silver eyed man. "What do you think Shiloh...Shiloh?"

Shiloh sat on the bed completely still, his expression was unreadable and his eyes looked glassy. "It's Aless. She is very frantic about something." He stood up and looked out the window to see her and Leo running up the street and into the brothel.

Footsteps were herd and than a load bang when the door opened, hitting the wall.

"Shiloh." She panted. "There's been another murder."

.

.

.

When they arrived at the scene of the crime there was still a crowd along with Scotland Yard. Mr. Randal stood outside of the scene of the crime, talking with another officer.

"Let us through." Ciel said with authority.

Randal turned to look at him. A sneer was plain on his face. "The Queen's watch dog yet again—I see you yet to solve this case. You even brought an incredibly large party with you."

Ciel smirked. "They all have their specialties."

Ciel made his way in first along with Sebastian. Alessandra and Shiloh followed, when Kyou and Leo stayed outside.

"The same pile of ashes and evidence." Alessandra mumbled.

Sebastian bent down and picked up the paper which once again had a poem written on it with smooth cursive writing.

"_I've always been waiting.  
Waiting for you.  
Waiting for death.  
But it never comes."_

Sebastian smirked, letting Ciel read it. "Sounds closely related to the conversation we were having earlier. Wouldn't you agree, Young Master?"

"Yeah."

Ciel knew what Sebastian spoke of. It sounded like Loren. He had always been waiting for death, waiting to be reunited with his beloved, but it never came because he was alive once again.

It was obvious now. Loren was allied with Phoenix, and whether it was his choice or against his will he had still lent his assisted in committing the crimes. And he would pay for it.

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter to some extent, I also hope there wasn't anything too confusing... :P**

***sigh* I should hopfully put up the next chapter and have a sketch of Phoenix before school starts—which I am not looking forward to D:**

**Maybe if I work hard enough I'll be able to put up two more chapters before my daily visits with hell (school) again. = =**

**Again, PLEAZE REVEIW! It keeps me motivated! ( ^_^)b**


	12. Chapter 11:Confessions

**Ok, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for taking sooooooooooo long to update! XS **  
**With school starting and all I just couldn't find the time to write- it's about 2:30 in the morning right now and I finally updated! Anyways~ sorry for any grammer or spelling and I hope you guys like this ch! Enjoy~**

Btw, there is a (really rough) character sketch of Phoenix/Loren...just go to my profile and the link is there~

**PLEAZE R&R!**

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**Chapter 11: Confessions**

The trip back to the manor was devastatingly quiet. No one said a word and the only sound came from the shifting of the gravel road.

Ciel continued to spin the long red feather between his fingers and found it strange how it felt warm to the touch. He sighed absentmindedly. There were many questions he needed answers to and many things he wanted to say, but he would have to hold off until the time became more suitable. After all, Alessandra still didn't know of the new development involving her father, and Ciel didn't want to be the one to bring it up. He was simply too tired to deal with the consequences of accusing her father of being involved with the murders.

He would leave that up to Shiloh.

.

.

.

The room was dark and somewhat ominous. The only source of light came from a lone candle which sat on the bed's nightstand. The candle light made the room appear larger and formed strange shapes that could be easily mistaken for something living—especially when the candle flickered causing the shadows to stir.

Alessandra sat in the middle of the bed with a violin case placed in front of her. She stared at it for a moment and then clicked open the latch. She slowly opened the case which revealed a violin, dark caramel in colour. She lightly traced her fingers against the surface and sighed deeply.

She truly loved this violin. It had been her father's. He had always cherished it and kept it safely sealed, but every now and again he would take it out and play until nightfall. Alessandra closed her eyes for a minute. She could still remember the beautiful tune he would play; the sorrow melody would always entrance her.

She sighed and closed the case, putting it back beside her luggage. She lay back down onto the bed and stifled a yawn; she hadn't realized how tired she actually was.

She was about to doze off until she heard a light knock on the door. She arose and looked at the door a little bemused.

"Yes?" She replied.

"It's me, may I come in?" A masculine voice asked.

"You may."

The door opened. Shiloh walked in and closed it behind him, his expression was unreadable. She looked into those silver eyes of his; they always seemed to shimmer even in the dim light.

"So." She began. "You have something to tell me, don't you?"

"I do." He walked over and sat down on the bed, angling his upper body so that he could look at her easily.

"What did you find out?" She asked timidly.

He stayed silent for a moment and stared into her eyes. He took his right hand and brushed his fingers through her hair, caressing her face. He shifted closer to her and pulled her into his arms.

She blinked a couple of times, processing the situation and the way he was acting.

"Shiloh... what's wrong? You're acting a little weird..."

He nuzzled his nose into her hair and breathed in deeply.

"You know I would never lie to you. Anything I say or do is always for your sake—no one else will ever get in the way of that. I say this, but I am always the one who ends up hurting you in the end."

Alessandra closed her eyes and rested her chin on his shoulder. _It seems like Leo had a little talk with him before hand..._

"But you've never done anything to hurt me."

"I have." His embrace tightened around her waist. "I took the soul of your mother and formed a contract with you, which is no different than a curse."

He loosened his embrace and moved away from her, but held her hands in his.

"I let your father die when I could have easily saved him... and I am about to tell you something that will be the same as all those other times."

She placed a finger over his lips, stopping anymore words from coming out. "Don't say it yet."

He kept silent and stroked the top of her hands with his thumbs. He didn't want to tell her about Loren but he also didn't want her to find out from someone else, that would only make it worse.

He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. "If you don't want to hear it I could always let you feel it instead."

She blushed slightly. "That sounds so wrong in many different ways."

He chuckled. "You know what I mean though."

He moved his face a couple inches away from. "Our contract binds us in a way that no other contract does. I am completely in sync with you, not just through the contract but through my own life force."

He placed his hand over her chest. "I can feel everything you feel. Your pain and your emotion run through me as it does through you. And I can let you feel mine as well if I so choose."

Her eyes were downcast. "I know, you've told me this before a while ago."

He chuckled, but there was no humour. "It must be why I'm so attached to you. I had almost forgotten what human emotion was like... what love was like." He smiled at her.

"Hold on... you're not implying that I—."

"That you love me."

She blushed madly. "You must be mistaken."

He smirked and caressed her cheek. Moving in close he captured her lips and kissed her fondly before she could say another word.

Her eyes widened but she didn't push away from him. He released her and gazed into those sapphire eyes with profound tenderness.

"If you love me I can't help but love you."

She stared at him completely flustered. She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but she decided to go with a snide comment. "I never thought you could say such embarrassing things."

She turned away and lay down on her side. She was incredibly happy. She knew he could feel her happiness and that there was no way she could deny that fact.

He stretched out beside her and held her snugly.

She broke the silence. "I guess you have to tell me the bad news now..."

He sighed. "I will tell you. But first remember this. Whatever the outcome may be I am always going to be here for you. I am your heart, your blood, your life...and if we should die, it will be together."

.

.

.

After the very quiet and somewhat awkward dinner with the others Ciel had retreated to his study to have his tea and dessert in peace. It was nice to finally get some time alone. Well... mostly alone.

"Young Master is very kind." Sebastian stated.

He poured the tea into a delicate Foley cup and placed it in front of the boy, right next to the delectable slice of Black Forest cake.

"I'm not kind." Ciel argued.

"But you are. You could have easily informed Lady Alessandra of the new development regarding her father but you did not because you knew it would hurt her deeply if she knew." He wore his usual smirk.

"I just don't want to have to deal with the evident argument I would have with her. She would most definitely be in denial. Besides, Shiloh said he would inform her himself."

Ciel wrapped his small fingers around the handle of the cup and brought it to his lips, he hesitated for a second.

"Camomile?" He asked slightly surprised.

"You have not been sleeping well recently, Young Master. I thought it would be wise to introduce something more suitable for so late at night."

Ciel's eye widened slightly, he averted his gaze from Sebastian and looked into the warm yellow liquid which held a small white petal floating on the surface. He blew the tea lightly, making the petal drift like a boat on a small lake.

"Thank you, that was very thoughtful."

Sebastian's brow rose for an instant. Not only did his Young Master thank him, he also did not argue with the fact that he was not sleeping well.

He bowed. "It is only natural for a Phantomhive butler to notice his master's unrest."

Ciel placed the cup back onto the saucer. _Good thing he doesn't notice everything._

Ciel was trying his very best to keep his feelings for Sebastian secret, but it was extremely difficult since he was with the man nearly every waking hour. It especially made him nervous whenever they were alone like this and the fact that it was late evening didn't help in any way.

He lifted the cup back up and took a long sip. The tea scolded the inside of his mouth but he didn't care, he welcomed the burning sensation until he emptied the contents. When he put down the cup it made a quiet _clinking_ sound.

Sebastian looked at his master curiously and refilled his cup. His eyes moved very slowly as he stared at the boy, taking in every inch of him. Ciel was simply beautiful. His body was slender and delicate with pale smooth skin that possessed no blemishes.* His hair was like the midnight sky and felt like woven silk to the touch. And his eyes, his eyes were haunted with the reflection of true suffering and humiliation but still looked like the enchanting eyes of a child.

Sebastian continued to gaze at his Young Master. His eyes stopped at his lips which appeared a slight pink.

"Young Master, did you scold yourself from the tea?" He moved a tad closer.

Ciel looked up at the older man and brought a timid finger to his lips. He felt a slight throbbing but it wasn't very painful.

"I didn't notice." He said simply.

"Here." Sebastian pulled out a small compact and kneeled down beside him. He removed the glove from his right hand and clicked open the compact which contained something white and translucent.

"What is that?" Ciel asked curious as his butler coated some on the tip of his finger.

"It's an ointment cream. It's very gentle on the skin and it helps lessen inflammation, as well as sustain dryness." His eyes were closed when he replied.

Ciel looked at his butler a little suspiciously. It's not like he had severely burned himself from the tea, it seemed a little over-reactant to apply some special cream—but he couldn't really complain...since it seemed like a pretty good excuse to get Sebastian to touch him without him seeming out of character.

Sebastian leaned in a bit closer, his finger barely touching the boy's mouth. "Young Master, could you part your lips slightly?" He asked softly.

Ciel complied and faintly opened his mouth. His breathing was shallow and he stayed perfectly still. Sebastian traced the outline of his lips leaving a thin coating behind. He brought his finger back to the compact, covering it with the cream again and then returned to applying it onto his master's sweet lips.

Sebastian's finger barely slid into his mouth to cover the inner part of Ciel's lips, he could feel a faint trace of saliva slick the tip of his finger. He was so tempted to push it into the Young Lord's enticing little mouth and explore—or to simply slide in his own tongue and share the boy's first kiss.

Sebastian blinked hard, regaining his composure. He was a butler—there was no way he would let his desires lead and take advantage of the situation. He removed his finger and pulled the white glove back onto his hand. Placing the compact back into his pocket he stood from his previous crouch.

Ciel's heart was racing. He felt like Sebastian could see right through him—that he was completely transparent to his butler. He needed to do something. To calm down his erratic breathing and the bright blush that painted his face. To silence the trembling in his voice and tear away his longing gaze from the older man.

But it all seemed hopeless—it was hopeless! He felt like he was going to die from this painful restraint that continued to tighten around him until it choked him to death—stealing the last bit of pride he had left.

Sebastian began to make his way to the door, about to leave his Young Master to his peaceful solitude. He himself couldn't take much more. He could still feel Ciel's soft and innocent lips on the tip of his finger.

He laid his hand over the door's handle—.

"Sebastian!" Ciel rose from his chair quickly. "I..."

Sebastian stopped and held his breath. "Yes, Young Master?"

He turned around and was surprised with how shaken-up the boy looked. His breathing seemed laboured like he had just run a marathon and his face was flushed like he had a fever. He stood with his hands supporting him as he leaned over his desk.

"I...I..." His frantic expression began to turn to that of discouragement.

Sebastian took a couple of steps closer to him and stood in front of the desk, they were about two metres away from each other.

"You..?"

Ciel let out a shaky breath.

_I'm a coward. I really can't say it._

He felt defeated and totally humiliated—like there was a huge invisible crowed laughing at him and egging him on.

He loved Sebastian, he truly did. It wasn't the tender love he expressed towards his parents or Elizabeth. It was the type of love with the feel of romanticism, desire, and longing.

"Young Master, you can tell me what it is you want to say." Sebastian encouraged him.

In all honesty, he really wanted to know what his Young Master was thinking—but the strangest thing was... he felt like he already knew.

"Sebastian... There's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now...

Sebastian blinked a couple of times. _What could it be—what could he want to tell me that would make him so flustered and change the way he's been acting towards me—._

Then it hit him. Like the clichéd turn-on-the-light-bulb, he had figured out why the Great Earl Ciel Phantomhive had been acting so strangely.

No wonder his Young Master was having such a difficult time confessing it... it wasn't something that was ever easy to say—especially to a man who was nearly twice your age.* But this was his Young Master, the one he too was in love with. He knew what he would say to the boy when he made his confession, as well as when he would say it.

Ciel swallowed back the saliva that had built up in his mouth and took a deep breath. Ciel opened his mouth and let the words come out clearly...

"_I love you."  
"I love you."_

Ciel looked at Sebastian in shock. Sebastian had said it with him—he had said that he loved him at the exact same time that he did.

"Wait...what?" Ciel asked confused.

"I love you." Sebastian replied with a clear and slow voice.

Ciel's eyes widened. "You liar—are you mocking me?" He asked angrily.

Sebastian moved with inhuman speed and stood right beside the boy. "I do not lie." He countered.

Ciel quickly turned to face him and Sebastian placed his hands on his shoulders.

"I do not only want your soul. I want your heart, your body, your mind—everything. I want you Young Master, I love you."

Ciel looked into Sebastian's wine coloured eyes. He didn't know what to say! Here he was a minute ago completely nervous about rejection and now his butler was making a declaration of love.

"I-If you felt the same then why did you not tell me?" He asked tensely.

"Because I didn't know if you felt the way I did. I am a butler to the core; it would have been very unprofessional of me to force my feeling onto you if you did not feel as I did. Whether I love you or not, you are still my Young Master."

Ciel felt immensely happy, but he still couldn't believe this was actually happening—he could just imagine himself waking up to his butler opening the curtains and confirming the reality. But the reality was that he loved Sebastian and Sebastian loved him.

Ciel let out a shaky breath. "I love you to." He whispered.

Sebastian smiled and leaned down, their faced were mere inches apart.

"It has gotten quite late, Young Master. Love or not, I can't have it getting in the way of my your well being."

He leaned closer and brought his lips to the boy's ear, making Ciel shudder.

He smirked. "After all, I am simply one hell of a butler."

...

... ... ...

So, how was it please, please, please **REVIEW**! It totally makes my day when I get them! And I really need it cause school is sucking a little :P

* His body was slender and delicate with pale smooth skin that possessed no blemishes.*  
-no blemishes? Not really true when he has a huge brand mark on his back :P

*especially to a man who was nearly twice your age.*  
-we all know that Sebastian is WAYYYY more than twice Ciel's age—but in appearance he looks to be in his early-mid twenties...so ya.


	13. Chapter 12: Diary

So~, this chapter is pretty short compared to my other ones—I just hope it isn't too confusing to understand what's happening = =  
I think it jumps around a bit too much... OTL  
anywho, I hope it's all right. I just didn't know what to write in this ch. With out it being boring…hopefully the next one will be better :P

**PLEAZE R&R!**

**... ... ... ... ... ...**

**Chapter 12: Diary**

Nothing could be heard but the light drumming of the rain hitting the roof of the manor. Ciel lay sleepless in bed, still in a total daze. He had had one of the best sleeps last night—the type of sleep where you close your eyes for what feels like a second and then open them to find out it's already morning. He didn't know what the exact time was but he assumed Sebastian would wake him in about an hour.

'_I love you.' _Sebastian's enchanting voice continued to repeat those sweet words over and over in his mind.

He could feel himself blush and rested an arm over his face, covering his eyes. He still found what happened last night extremely hard to believe—that the raven haired man would say those three little words together in one sentence. It all seemed like a dream.

After a couple of minutes Ciel sat up and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the slight grogginess. He was in an incredibly blissful state but subconsciously he new it was not going to last for much longer. There were still a lot of things unfinished that needed to be accomplished. With Phoenix still running wild there was no time for rest, and with the new information they were bound to make some progress.

"Young Master, you're already awake?" Sebastian spoke smoothly.

Ciel looked over slightly startled. "Yes."

He swung his feet over the bed and removed the covers. As he stood he could feel the floor's cool surface seep into the warmth of his feet.

Sebastian chuckled. "Have you committed yourself to a new resolution, getting-up-in-the-morning-without-a-fuss?"

"I don't fuss—and no, I don't plan on it. Waking up at an earlier hour was just a whim of mine."

Ciel's eyes were closed as he spoke. He wanted to act as normal and casual as possible, but it was incredibly difficult with his heart practically beating out of his chest. He took a shallow breath and opened his eyes to find his butler standing before him—only mere inches apart.

"Are you nervous?" Sebastian asked quietly; just load enough for human ears.

"I wouldn't say _nervous_." He stared at one of the silver buttons on the man's tail coat.

Sebastian smiled and placed a gloved hand on the boy's head, brushing his fingers through the silky hair. The gesture made Ciel blush madly.

"W-What is the schedule for today?" He asked.

"We are going to Lady Alessandra's old manor house for further investigation." He removed his hand and went to retrieving the Earl's clothing.

"And she's fine with this?" He asked a bit surprised.

"Yes." Sebastian placed the clothes on the bed. "Shiloh spoke with her last night. He said it went by much smoother than he predicted."

"I see." Ciel replied simply.

What else was there to say? They had searched high and low for Phoenix and they had finally found a possible opportunity in capturing him.

.

.

.

"Are we there yet?" Leo asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Leo, please." Shiloh glared. "We'll be there in less than a half an hour."

"It would be faster if we just ran there ourselves."

"If you hadn't noticed, it's raining." He argued.

Leo groaned and stretched his legs across the bench seat, resting them over Shiloh's thigh. The silver eyed man sighed but made no move to push him off.

Alessandra sighed as well. "Do you mind if I get some fresh air? It's so cramped in here."

Shiloh leaned down and grabbed the umbrella under the seat and passed it to her. From what Ciel could tell his eyes looked very solemn. If Shiloh were human he would have mistaken it for lack of sleep, but demons had no need for sleep. There had to be something else on his mind.

.

Alessandra leaned out of the carriage door and grabbed Sebastian's outstretched hand, pulling her up easily.

"I hope you don't mind my company." She opened the umbrella and angled it over her and Sebastian.

"Not at all."

They sat there not saying a word for a long moment until Sebastian broke the silence.

"Lady Aless, how long have you been contracted to Shiloh?"

"Um, since I can remember." She answered vaguely.

"About how long is that?"

"Why do you want to know?" She didn't know why but she couldn't help but get a bit defensive.

"Forgive me, my Lady. I have no intention in being out of line I just wish to learn more in order to solve this case. Lots of lives have already been sacrificed."

Sebastian smirked. So the last part had been a cheap shot, but he knew the girl would fess up any information if it meant she would be protecting others because of it.

"I've known him since the beginning."

"The beginning, as in when you were born?"

"Yes."

"So then you couldn't have been the one to form the contract. It was someone else…"

"It was my mother." Alessandra stared out into the distance. "When I was born my heart was very weak, I only had a couple of days to live… and it broke my mother's heart. She would stay up all night pleading and praying for someone—anyone to save me. That's when Shiloh appeared before her with a deal. He would give me life by sharing his very own life force in exchange for her soul and in the end mine as well." She glanced up at Sebastian. "It's obvious what decision she made."

Now it made sense. Her mother died in order to save her, which in turn, made her father fall into despair and welcome his death. But that still didn't explain how Loren was still alive.

"There it is." Alessandra pointed strait ahead where a worn down manor stood.

.

.

.

The old manor looked more like an asylum or a haunted house than a mansion where nobility used to reside. The colour appeared to be completely drained from the brick and the windows were smashed and cracked, along with the roof that seemed to be falling apart.

"It looks a hell of a lot worse than the last time we were here." Leo shivered. "It makes my fur stand on end."

They walked up the stairs and came to the door. Sebastian took hold of the handle and forced it in, causing the wood to crack and bend the hinges. Ciel held up one of the two lamps, Alessandra kept the other one.

The inside was nowhere near as bad as the outside. Although it was dusty and damp it wasn't tarnished in any way.

"This way." Alessandra led the way up the stairs to a long hallway. "My father's study is the second door to the right."

"You're not coming?" Ciel asked gently.

"No, I'd rather stay here."

Ciel backed off; he could see that she was at the brink of tears. "Can you show us Shiloh?"

"Of course." He walked past Ciel in the direction of the study. "Leo, stay with Aless."

Leo bowed deeply. "Sir."

...

The study itself was in brutal shape compared to the rest of the interior, it was obvious that the fire had started in there; with the remains of furniture and ash through out the room.

Shiloh sighed deeply.

"Shiloh?" Sebastian spoke.

"I think I'm starting to get it now." He bent down and smeared the ashes on the floor with his hand, leaving it black.

"Get what?" Ciel asked.

"Well, things are starting to play together. You see this ash? There is no trace of Loren's body, as if he was never even here—which makes no sense because I saw him being engulfed by the flames."

"So, someone cleaned up the crime before you came back then…"

Shiloh was shaking his head. "I always thought it was peculiar when I came back here right after Loren's death because there was no trace of his former presence. It's impossible for a normal flame to totally ashen human bones to begin with, unless given a significant amount of time."

Ciel was beginning to grow impatient, why couldn't Shiloh just come out with it bluntly—time's a wasting!

"What are you getting at?"

Shiloh looked at Ciel with deep silver eyes. "I believe that Loren _is_ Phoenix."

.

.

.

Phoenix stood deep within the forest, making him undetectable. He had no desire to make any unnecessary moves at the moment but he still wanted to observe the situation from afar.

"What are you doing?" Loren asked. "Being a murdering psychopath like yourself—shouldn't you be avoiding the people trying to catch you?"

Phoenix chuckled. "You mean catch _us_."

"Don't compare me to a sick bastard like you." He sneered.

Phoenix snorted. "I just wanted to get a better look at my lovely kitten?"

"Kitten?"

"Ciel Phantomive of course. I was considering Aless as well—but she's your daughter and technically mine, so it seems odd."

"That has to be the most logical thing you've said." His voice was sarcastic.

Phoenix stayed silent and kept his eyes on the manor. As much as he wanted to introduce himself and cause a scene he knew that the conditions were not favorable. One: it was raining. Two: He would need Loren to be completely absent. And Three: he would have to face three demons at once, not good odds on any standards.

He sighed. "I'll have to come back another time."

.

.

.

Ciel looked at Shiloh perplexed.

"You're saying that Loren is Phoenix? But when comparing the two of them he is far from—they are the complete opposite."

"I believe that is where Shiloh is correct, Young Master." Sebastian spoke. "After all, the chance of him having a split personality is very possible given the circumstances. Plus, Phoenix seems to be immune to fire, which would explain why Loren never died."

"Even if he does have a split personality that doesn't explain why he would be going on a killing spree—either he has some kind of goal or he's just doing this out of pleasure."

Shiloh crossed his arms. "Well, the only thing we can do right now is search for Loren."

Ciel nodded and was about to leave the room until he had a sudden premonition to go and search through Loren's desk drawers. He walked over and pulled the top one but it was locked.

"Sebastian."

Sebastian walked over and pulled the handle, forcing the drawer off its hinges and causing it to splinter. "Young Master." He held the contents in front of the boy, who began to rummage through the papers.

Ciel took hold of a large leather journal and pulled it out. "A diary."

He brushed his fingers over the text, _'May Your Memories Never Be Forgotten.'_

He had a good feeling about this diary, that there would be some kind of clue or a hidden meaning. He opened it slowly and—.

"I don't think this is a diary."

Shiloh looked at the contents; it was more like a story going play by play with Loren's actions.

He smirked. "That's no diary. It's his cinematic record."

**... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

**... ... ... ...**

How was it~? Well, the next ch will be all about Loren (because they are looking at his diary/cinematic record… hopefully things will start to play together. Regarding Loren/Phoenix and his past and why he's doing all of this and why he's still alive! :D

oh~, and if you didn't already know, I drew another pic of Kyou (it's more like an action shot)... the link is on my profile.

'till next time~ ;)


	14. Chapter 13: Loren Knight

Yay~, so here's the next chapter. Basically this is like a bunch of flash backs from Loren's cinematic record (they go in order, by the way). Hopefully you will be able to understand a bit more about him and how things turned out the way they did :D

please enjoy!

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**Chapter 13: Loren Knight**

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It was a gorgeous day, to say the least. The sun was at its highest peak and shinned down on the beautiful countryside, making it appear bright like an earthy haven. Though the weather was exceptionally nice today it could not help in decreasing Loren's boredom and annoyance.

He always disliked being forced into accompanying his father on various trips. He didn't mind the end result of the travel but the time it took to get there. For some reason he just found it difficult to stay still, if he wasn't doing something it always made him edgy—and being stuck in a small carriage was not helping him in anyway.

"Father, please tell me we're almost there. I think my legs are cramping." He mumbled the last part.

His father smiled in response. "You're fidgety as ever. We're almost there."

He sighed. "Who did you say we were seeing again?"

"My boy, I've told you many times already. We're visiting Christian, a very good friend of mine."

"Oh, joy." He said sarcastically, running his fingers through his pale blond hair.

"I think you will enjoy yourself more than you seem to think. Christian wishes for you to meet his daughter over our visit."

Loren grimaced. "Father, if you continue to introduce me to all of these different girls, people are going to start getting the impression that I'm some kind of _womanizer_."

His father grinned. "And what is wrong with that? Being popular among the ladies can get you very far in life."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Father, I know that I inspire to be like you...but not in _that_ regard. It seems like every time I turn around I see a different woman coming through our door."

"Yes, that may be true—but let me remind you that all of those women come to me willingly."

Loren sighed. His father could be so sly sometimes.

"I don't understand it; everyone is always putting on an act— and not just the men but the women as well. Giving everyone the impression that they are prim-and-proper but then can't wait to hike up their skirts behind closed doors..."

His father stared at him surprised. "Where did you hear such things?"

"...I hear things." He chided.

The older man shook his head in astonishment. "Like father like son."

Loren snorted in response. He didn't really know what to say to that. Yes, the man sitting across from him was his father, but not by blood. Even if that fact was very true he still saw this man as his father, the one who had taken him in when no one else would.

Loren continued to look out the window. He could _finally_ see a grand mansion appearing in the distance.

"Thank God." He mumbled to himself.

...

Once the carriage had come to a stop Loren felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The door opened and he stepped out after his father. He straightened out his clothes as he took in the lovely setting. The manor was perfectly well kept with beautiful rose bushes adorning the grounds and outlining the mansion.

"Laurence, it's so nice to finally see you." A tall man with chocolate brown hair greeted. "And this must be Loren whom I've heard so much about."

He presented his hand; Loren took it firmly and shook. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Loren Knight."

"Pleasures all mine. You may call me Christian." He smiled.

His father smiled as well, it was always nice to see old friends.

"Christian." Laurence began. "It's been such a long trip and I haven't seen you in ages. Why don't we have a drink and catch up?"

He made a genuine laugh. "It's already waiting for us my friend."

Loren sighed. _This day is never going to end._

"Oh, Loren. My daughter is sitting in the garden, why don't you go keep her company?"

He forced a smile. "I would be honoured."

Christian and his father smiled and retreated into the manor, leaving him in a state of unease. He smoothed out his clothes and cleared his throat as he slowly made his way toward the back of the manor. God forbid if this girl be worse than the last one he had met. He could still remember her shrill voice which sounded more like a mouse, and her far too frilly dress that was the colour of cotton candy. It was hard to believe that someone like that would be the hire of a noble family.

As Loren made his way through the garden he could hear a light _sniping_ sound which came from behind one of the rose bushes.

"Excuse me?" He spoke smoothly.

There was one final snip and than a second of silence before a response. "You must be Sir Laurence's son. It's Loren, right?" An enchanting voice spoke.

"Yes, I'm Loren Knight and you must be..." He paused. He didn't know her name for no one had told him.

"It's Rose Marie. But you can just call me Rose." She moved from behind the bush holding about a dozen red roses.

Loren's eyes widened slightly, she was simply beautiful. She had silky maroon coloured hair and mossy green eyes, and wore a simple dress that was the colour of ivory with shades of lavender.

"It's very nice to meet you Rose." He took her free hand and kissed it gently, letting his lips linger there for a moment as his eyes met hers.

She smiled sweetly; his charms had hardly fazed her, which only made him more intrigued. Just in those few moments of being in her presence he could tell she was far different than other girls—she was unpretentious but strong willed, it made her even more appealing than she already was.

The sudden feeling he had was so strange. It was like seeing the world for the first time, like breathing that needed air after downing, like waking from a dream. If this was love, he prayed for it to stay.

.

.

.

Loren continued to role the crisp snow into a large round ball for the snowman's head. His hands were bare but he found it easier to work with the snow that way.

"Loren, aren't you cold? I have an extra pair of gloves." Rose said a little concerned.

"Thank you for the offer but I'm perfectly fine." He stopped what he was doing and placed his hand against her cheek. "See?"

Her eyes widened. "Wow, they're actually warm. Is that even normal?"

He smiled. "Who knows, I've always had a really high body temperature." He leaned in and spoke quietly. "Since your really special to me can you keep a secret? Being able to stand the cold isn't the only 'none-normal' thing I can do."

She laughed. "Of course I can."

...

Rose stared at Loren intently as they sat in front of the fire place of the library. "So, what are you going to show me?"

"First off, don't panic or anything. You have to trust me because I've done this a lot of times before and nothing bad has ever happened. And I honestly don't know how I do it either." He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his unmarked skin.

"Okay, I trust you." She said strongly.

He nodded and inched closer towards the fire, stretching out his hand towards the flame but not yet touching it. Rose watched nervously and willed herself not to stop his actions—it was the natural thing to do after all, if someone were about to stick their hand in a blazing fire.

And just like that he put his arm into the fire and kept it there for about ten seconds. There was no pain or concern on his face as he took his hand back from the flames. He held his arm out to her so that she could examine it.

She was completely speechless as she touched the smooth skin of his hand. He was obviously something more than your average fifteen year old—for being immune to fire was _far_ from 'normal'.

.

.

.

"I wish I could steal you away from this place—or at least stay here forever with you." He held Rose's hands firmly in his. "I love you so much. I can't help but feel desperate when we're apart."

"I love you to." She rested her head on his shoulder and tightly embraced him. He couldn't help but blush as her chest pressed against his; she had grown and matured over the past years they had known each other—they were both eighteen after all. He had also grown taller and become stronger over the years, he was no longer the slim thirteen-year old he had been when they first met.

"I wish to ask your father for your hand in marriage, I know he would allow it—but your mother hates me with a passion and I know there are others who feel the same."

He knew that he would be able to marry Rose and make her completely his, but he knew that some people did not agree with them being together—especially her mother, she knew he was just some gutter-rat from the slums that was brought up in nobility. The other person who begrudged him was his brother Christopher, who was originally the one to marry Rose, but with the divorce and separation that had occurred with their parents it was like Loren had completely replaced him.

Rose caressed Loren's face, angling his lips towards hers and kissed him deeply. He loved this side of her, how her will was so strong and she did whatever she wanted—gender and status never shackled her spirit.

She released Loren whom was now breathing heavily. "Who cares what they think, we can figure out the complications later."

He chuckled and brushed his fingers through her hair. "We could always have them force us to marry each other, with a _shotgun-wedding_." He whispered and nuzzled her neck.

She laughed that warm-hearted laugh that he always loved. "Sorry Sparky*, but I plan to walk down the 'virgin road', which means you'll have to wait till the wedding night."

He smiled and leaned his head against hers. "You're definitely worth waiting for."

.

.

.

Loren always thought he would be able to get though his father's funeral without crying but he was wrong. He never thought his father would get sick and leave him at such a young age; the man was only in his forties and died of Haemoptysis.

The last moments he had spent with his father were engraved into his memory, the crimson stained sheets from the blood he coughed up, his terrified eyes and the retched sounds that escaped his throat as he choked to death by his own blood. It was something he'd never forget.

He held Roses hand tightly as tears streamed down his closed eyes. All he could think about was that his father would never get to see their newborn—the child that he had always imagined calling him grandfather. He hated it; he hated death and the entire unknown. One moment you are living happily and the next you are stuck in the past with your regrets and memories haunting you with every opportunity.

He prayed, prayed to a God he never believed in, that he would never experience this loss again.

.

.

.

Loren sat at his desk dealing with the usual paper work until he herd a knock at his door.

"Come in." He replied.

The door quickly swung open and his lovely daughter ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "Happy birthday, Daddy! Look, look I made a cake for you with Shiloh—we made sure to make chocolate cause I know that's your favourite." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

The handsome young man stood holding a very extravagant little cake made for a single person.

He did his best to smile. "Aw, that's so sweet of you love."

Shiloh placed the cake before him and lit the small candles.

"Be sure to make a wish Master Knight." Shiloh spoke in an odd tone.

Loren looked up into those silver eyes of his. He could never tell what he was thinking, heck—he didn't know anything about him at all accept that he had been serving him for years now.

He blew out the candles easily; he barely had to blow at all since he could will the fire to burn out if he so pleased.

"Daddy, I know you're busy so I'm going to go to bed now—I hope you like the cake." With that little Alessandra ran off to her room.

He sighed and took a small bite of the cake. The flavour was rich and savoury with hints of vanilla mixed into the creamy icing. He placed his fork down and looked at Shiloh who had not yet left.

"You wish to tell me something, Master Knight." When he spoke it was not a question but a statement.

Loren took his eyes away from the dark haired man and stared into the fireplace where the crimson flames danced.

"Yes, I do."

.

.

.

Flames, the flames seemed to engulf the entire room now but there he stood unscarred, untouched. Why? Why could such a thing not harm him? Why could he not die by its hand and end it all?

But the thing that confused him the most was that this time, for the first time ever, the fire that caressed his skin was painful—it burned. His hair, his skin, his body would not catch fire and turn to ash but the pain he felt was immense as if he were being seared from the inside out.

_I don't understand! It hurts—it hurts! _He screamed in his mind.

"Want me to change that feeling?" A voice beckoned.

Loren's eyes widened. "W-Who's there?"

"Ouch, you actually don't remember me? I'm you." The voice spoke smoothly. "Now answer the question, do you want me to relieve your pain? Not only this physical pain but the pain you feel for your beloved. I can fix it, I can reunite the two of you—I can reunite us."

"Rose." His voice was filled with pure sorrow. "Please, I want to see her—I need her."

The said voice chuckled. "As you wish, Loren."

Then suddenly the flames faded away. Without any warning his body began to crumble into ash and the burning pain began to subside.

"W-What is happening?" He screamed in utter fear as his body slowly darkened and fell apart until there was nothing left but a mound of black ash.

The entire room was silent and completely covered in darkness. The only colour in the vast room came from a blood red feather which sat upon the ashes of the former Loren Knight.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

So~ how was it? I hope you all liked it. I personally really liked this chapter, just because I like Loren as a character.

_*Sparky*.  
_OK, so Rose calls him Sparky as a nick-name because of his strange ability with fire—like "sparks" from a flame, so "Sparky". XD

It will prob. Be a while till the next chapter.

**PLEASE REVIEW! \( ^_^)/**


	15. Chapter 14: Kiss

**Chapter 14: Kiss**

...

...

There was an eerie silence that floated through the room. It was the type of silence where you could hear each little thing that stirred. Every surface of the room was painted black from the ash like it had been dressed in a shadowy cloak.

The blood red feather that lay on the mound of the previous Loren Knight looked incredibly obscure and unnatural against its surroundings. It quivered slightly as if there was something buried in the ashes it sat upon. As the mound slowly shifted a pale hand awkwardly reached out, followed by another that clawed at the floor's surface. The hands shook as they worked to pull out the rest of its body. Soon a pale head of hair surfaced—it was Loren.

He gasped as he crawled out from the ashes, completely bare to his surroundings. He breathed heavily as he collapsed and gripped his arms firmly. He felt like he was going to crumble into pieces.

"What… what just happened?" He whispered breathless.

"We have been reborn." A sultry voice spoke.

Even in Loren's shaken state he could still recognize that voice, the voice that had spoken to him earlier. But it sounded much more sinister and demonic than it had sounded originally. Loren pushed the thought aside and assumed it was just his imagination.

"Reborn...What…what do you mean…exactly?" Loren managed to mumble.

"It is exactly as I have said. We, as in you and I, have been reborn into something new and _improved_." He said silkily.

"Improved?"

"Yes, very much so—let's just say we have become better. But I will go into more of the details later on. For now we should find us some clothes, I detest being so uncovered." His voice gradually became more casual.

Loren shakily sat up but made no attempt to stand.

"Is something the matter?"

"How could there not be?" He asked exasperated. "Nothing… makes any sense."

"Hmm. Yes, everything does seem pretty unbelievable. I guess you would want me to explain it to you?"

Loren looked up expecting to see a figure standing before him but there was nothing. He didn't know what to say or where to look—it was strange talking to someone that was not there yet the voice spoke so clearly in his mind.

He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. His throat was parched and his lips were cracked and dry.

"Tell me everything."

.

.

.

Ciel and the others were silent as the cinematic record stopped playing and the screen became black. He blinked a couple of times and looked up at Sebastian who wore a peculiar expression.

Shiloh carefully closed the book and placed it on the surface of the desk.

Sebastian's eyes scanned Shiloh carefully. "It would seem you have lost your edge." He stated. 

Those silver eyes looked over at Sebastian. His expression was chilling and his aura radiated of superiority, it sent shivers down Ciel's spine. With Shiloh's good nature and casual attitude he had almost forgotten that this man was a devil—something more superior than a demon. 

Shiloh relaxed his shoulders and his expression softened into a smirk. He clucked his tongue before speaking. "So it would seem, though the same will happen to you in time, my dear Sebastian." His eyes slowly trailed over Ciel. "It is not just the contract that binds you to him."

The two men stared at each other, neither one blinking or lessening their intensity.

"Sebastian." Ciel finally spoke. "We should show great hast and return to the mansion. We need to revaluate the situation and make a plan in capturing Loren, or Phoenix—whatever you wish to call him. Let's just go." He spoke quickly but never stuttered.

Sebastian averted his gaze and looked to Ciel, the blazing in his scarlet orbs immediately subsided, changing back into the eyes of a calm and diligent butler.

"Yes, my Lord."

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.

.

Back at the manor Ciel sat in the study, absently sipping his tea as Shiloh and Sebastian conversed. They both spoke quickly and in great detail of everything they had gathered, making suggestions and possible ways to capture a crafty character like Phoenix.

Ciel sighed and took another sip of his tea. He was far too tired to come up with any of his own ideas—even if he did he was certain that they had already been mentioned.

"Master Ciel, if you continue to drink so much tea I'm going to start calling you _Earl Grey_."

Ciel looked up to see Leo grinning and kneeling against his chair.

He smirked. "I can't really disagree with you there."

Leo nodded and leaned over, grabbing a sugar cube and placing it in his mouth. Ciel saw Leo as a very graceful and elegant being; he didn't seem the type to be acquainted with demons—even though he himself was one. Maybe it was his white hair or vibrant green eyes that made him somewhat angelic, he didn't quite know.

"How is Aless?" Ciel asked.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "She's been better. It will just take her a bit of time to accept the news—but I'm sure she'll be back to her old self by tomorrow. She's a lot tougher than she looks."

"That's good to know." He murmured, sipping the last of his tea and placing his cup down with a small _clink_.

Shiloh nodded to Sebastian and then looked to Ciel once their conversation was finished. "Master Cial, Sebastian and I have come to the lame conclusion that the easiest way to capture Phoenix is to simply hunt him down like dogs." He said with a grin.

Sebastian grimaced a bit at Shiloh's choice of words. He despised being referred to as a dog. The very fact that he was named after the _dog_ Sebastian always annoyed him, but at the same time it pleased him that he had received a name from his young master.

"You're right, that is a lame conclusion." Ciel sighed and stood from his chair. "And what else?"

"Our best option is for us to wait until late evening when there are a minimum number of witnesses." Sebastian said matter-of-fact and continued on. "You and Lady Alessandra will also have to stay in the care of Kyou and Leo when we are in the city so that we are able to move more freely. It is also in your best interest." He added.

Ciel closed his visible eye and made a small nod. "Since we have a few more hours to spare I will retire to my room for the time being..."

.

.

.

.

Ciel sighed as he sat down on his bed. "Who would have thought that when he called himself _Phoenix_ he meant it quite literally? Being reborn from the ashes is quite absurd."

"Yes~, in a human's eyes it would be." Sebastian murmured as he stood before his master.

Ciel nodded with a melancholy expression. He had a dark foreboding feeling for some reason, like something was nudging at him, warning him that something bad was to come.

"Young Master, are you feeling unwell? You look pale."

"Oh, I'm fine..." He reassured in a quiet voice which was far from being anywhere near convincing.

Sebastian's brow furrowed a bit. Even though the two had confessed their supposed love for each other there were still times when Sebastian felt a distance between them.

"Ciel..."

Ciel's eyes widened a bit when he heard his name being said in such a way. "What did you call me?" He questioned, trying to make his voice sound angry and annoyed. But it was a difficult task for he didn't feel either of those emotions. There was something about the way Sebastian said his name that made him almost happy—like they were equals and not just master and servant.

"Please don't hide anything important from me, especially your thoughts and feelings." Sebastian spoke, completely ignoring the boy's question. "I'm here, so please use me at your will. Be it to listen or to speak, to fight or protect, to love or be loved~." He purred in a silky voice. "I will do anything and everything if it is you."

Ciel didn't say anything for a long time until he found the air to speak. "What are you getting at exactly? Explain it simply." He hated how his voice wavered like he was nervous, but something about those words made his heart fly.

Sebastian made a small chuckle. "What I mean is I'm here for you. Not just as your loyal servant, but as your lover as well."

Even if Sebastian was being completely serious he couldn't help but have that grin that was so closely related to a smirk—especially when he saw those cute little cheeks of his master's get dusted with a soft shade of pink.

"L-Lovers?" Ciel stuttered, voice rising in pitch slightly.

"That's what we are, yes~?" It seems only appropriate with everything that has occurred." He smirked and leaned in close enough to whisper in his ear. "Wouldn't you agree, Ciel~?"

"D-Don't call me that—I'm still your master."

"Mm~, that you are, but should a master be so blatantly under a servant's influence~?" He murmured. "I am but a lowly servant and yet you still love me with this fragile little heart of yours." He said simply, hearing the boy's heart beat pick up in tempo.

Ciel gnawed on his bottom lip. "Just... stop talking." He said, unable to come up with a liable argument.

"Is that an order?"

Was it an order? He hadn't intended it to be, for he still wanted to hear that silky voice to caress his ears with every word—even if all he would hear were teasing remarks.

"No... It was a request..." He mumbled and then licked his dry lips. "Sebastian... do you really love me?"

"I love you with as much as my demon self will allow." He made a soft, almost tender smile as he gazed into that one sapphire blue eye. "When I'm with you I almost feel human again."

Ciel's blush soon returned and he shifted his gaze to try and relax his mind. Sometimes he felt that he could drown in those captivating red orbs that looked like endless pools of crimson.

"I'm glad." Ciel murmured gently, a small smile gracing his lovely features.

"Tell me Young Master," Sebastian began as he sat down on the bed next to him, wanting to speak at the same level. "What convinced you that it was love?"

What had convinced him? That was a very good question. One that was not very easy to answer without possibly embarrassing himself.

"What convinced me..." He repeated in order to buy himself more time before he attempted to answer. "The dreams." He said simply.

"Dreams~?" He asked in an amused and curious tone.

"Y-Yeah..."He said, looking in the opposite direction. "I started to have some, shall we say, _strange_ dreams with you being the main subject..."

Now this intrigued Sebastian all the more. "Define _strange_ for me, Young Master."

"Well... you know..." God, what was he supposed to say? He couldn't just go ahead and tell him—'oh yeah, I had some really perverse dreams and they all involved you'. He couldn't see that one going very well.

Sebastian took Ciel's chin between his thumb and finger, gently angling it back so that he could look at him directly. "Please tell me."

Ciel stared into the demon's eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat before speaking. "In one of my dreams... we kissed." He said the last words in barely a whisper.

Sebastian for once had a fairly genuine smile grace his face as he stared at the younger male.

"Oh~?" He leaned in a bit closer. "How would you like to make that dream a reality?" He asked, speaking in that slow and seductive tone that would have the women throwing themselves at him in an instant. His eyes gleamed dangerously like a predator admiring his prey.

Ciel subconsciously licked his own lips as his eyes stayed fixated on his butler's. The way he looked at him with those eyes made him unable to pull away and had his heart doing summer-salts.

"If you don't say anything I'll take your silence as a _yes_~."

He should say something right? He should try to stop him—halt his actions before he did something he might regret... but he couldn't speak. All he could do was gaze at the older man unmoving.

Sebastian had given Ciel a good sixty seconds to speak before doing anything, but his master still said nothing. So with that, he kept his word.

He leaned in even closer, eyes glued to Ciel's as hand moved to caress his face gently in the palm of his hand. "Close your eyes~." He whispered silkily.

Ciel did just that, eyes slowly fluttering shut without a fuss. As calm as he looked on the outside the same could not be said in regards to his heart and mind. He was surprised he didn't just have a heart attack then and there as he waited in anticipation.

Sebastian then took the initiative, shutting his own eyes and closing the small gap between them. His lips pressed against Ciel's delicately, merely putting a small amount of pressure against his.

Even though the kiss was small Ciel could still feel a small tingling, like he was being shocked with tiny bolts of electricity where their lips met. Almost too soon Sebastian slowly pulled away, eyes soft but still intense.

"Was it as good as your dreams~?" He purred in question.

"Better." Ciel whispered breathlessly. "But, there was something about it... like it was missing something..." He said, trailing off.

That smirk soon crept back onto the butler's lips. "That's probably because it wasn't a very _deep_ or _passionate_ kiss like in your dreams~." He teased, putting extra emphasis on those two words.

Ciel's cheeks went beat red. "S-Shut up you..." He muttered as he looked away.

Sebastian smirked even more. "Perhaps a small childish kiss isn't enough for you then..." He whispered, leaning in again and capturing his lips.

Ciel's eyes widened and then immediately closed as he felt those soft subtle lips press against his even more than before.

Sebastian still took things slow as he opened his mouth ever so slightly, urging Ciel to move his lips against his as he did. His tongue tracing over the boy's lips slowly and then ever so gently slipping past them into his mouth.

"Mmn~." Ciel's eyes widened and then tightly shut at the invasion of his mouth.

He clung to the older man as a strange sensation consumed his body and mind. He could feel that skilled tongue caress the walls of his small mouth and massage against his tongue as it danced with his. He was forced to let Sebastian take the lead, for he had no knowledge in this activity what's so ever. But being lead in this sort of thing didn't bother him at all.

After a few more passing moments Sebastian broke the kiss gently, a small string of saliva connected between them for a split second. "It seems you enjoyed that quite a bit~." He purred, looking calm as ever which pissed Ciel off a bit since he was breathing quite heavily.

"You... you should prepare the carriage..." Ciel breathed, trying to change the subject before his pride was hurt anymore than this. His face was flushed and his lips were wet as he looked at the clock to see it was nearly time to leave.

Sebastian held back a chuckle as he stood and bowed gently. "It will be ready right away~." He said, making his way to the door and then stopping before looking back. "Oh, by the way, you might want to clean yourself up a bit before coming downstairs Young Master~." He smirked, before closing the door behind him.

Ciel cleared his throat, his gaze looking to his reflection in the mirror, which only made him blush more and quickly look away.

He'd never seen such an expression on his face before.

It was one of complete love and infatuation.


End file.
